About Wangshin
Our company's vision, "Food as Medicine (食藥同源)," emphasizes the crucial role of our meals for health. The traditional Korean table set by a mother, filled with rice, soup, fermented soybean paste stew, vegetables, fish, and kimchi, represents the essence of this belief. The foods we consume, mainly consisting of vegetables and well-fermented sauces, are the foundation of our immune system, safeguarding our gut health, which is vital for overall wellness. 'Protecting the gut with sauces' is our mantra at Wangshin Food and Medicine Unity.
Harmony (和) in flavors, like accumulating memories, builds depth. Layering tastes, from the refined saltiness of desalted grains to the hidden sweetness behind, and combining the umami of soybeans with the bright taste of anchovies, creates a harmonious depth. We aim to expand the flavor hexagon, crafting sauces that blend umami, sweetness, and saltiness.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. The future you is shaped by what you consume today. Just as habits formed at three last till eighty, so does the gut environment shape our immune system. The gut hosts over 100 trillion bacteria of about 1,000 different kinds, varying from person to person, influenced by diet, lifestyle, and heritage. Maintaining the beneficial gut bacteria passed down from our ancestors through a diet rich in beneficial microbes and enzymes from fermented sauces is key to healthy living.
My Mother’s Cancer Diagnosis
In 2008, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. During the treatment process, we realized the importance of boosting the immune system and discovered that fermented Korean foods played a significant role. After watching a TV exposé on the unsanitary conditions of commercial anchovy sauce production, my mother decided to make her own. Starting with 60kg of anchovies, she gradually increased the amount.
Science behind Wangshin
This led to an interest in 'boiled fish sauce', a traditional method of boiling the leftovers from anchovy sauce with water to produce a clear liquid sauce. We started experimenting with adding this liquid to meju (fermented soybean blocks) to make traditional Korean soy sauce and doenjang (fermented soybean paste). This experiment eventually resulted in a patent in 2015, Patent No. 10-1536433 "Method for Producing Fish Sauce and Fish Doenjang Using Anchovy Residue and Meju, and Fish Sauce and Fish Doenjang Produced Thereby," and the establishment of Jin A F&C in December of the same year.