We recently connected with Penny Park and have shared our conversation below.

Penny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Kandy Seoul was inspired by Korean treats and culture. I thought it would be unique and bold to use a K instead of a C for the word candy. Not only that but the K could also represent K for Korean candy. Seoul is special because it is the heart of Korea, and the heart of every human is their own soul. Ironically Kandy and Seoul are both cities. Kandy, a city in Sri Lanka, even has a Buddhist temple known as the Tooth Temple. Instantly I thought of the phrase “having a sweet tooth”. Essentially alot of creativity, play on words, and potentially coming up with some children book characters led to the name Kandy Seoul .

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Penny Park, by trade I am a registered nurse of seven years but long before that I enjoyed consuming and creating sweets. During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic I was blessed with more than usual family time with my spouse and children during the shutdowns. This led to more creating and baking and really evaluating what was important to us. That was the first push, the most recent push was creating candy and sending them to friends and family and them commenting that maybe we should start selling them. In one weekend we were invited to create 4000 pieces and despite being overwhelmed we rose to the challenge and have not looked back. Even though I was nervous, it has been worth it. Kandy Seoul is a vegan friendly Korean candy store inspired by Korean sweets such as the Dalgona and Hobakdang. Hobakdang is very similar to the tiktok trending edible gem candy, Kohakutou, but with a more melt in your mouth texture. Our recipes and flavors are inspired by favorites from all over the world. As Kandy Seoul grows I hope to instill Korean culture and traditions into my brand and products themselves. This is all still surreal for me and my family but we are working diligently on making our brand stand out all the while representing the Korean culture. As a healthcare provider I am really big into preventative care and of course moderation is key to life. As the creator, I will grow as my demand grows. I am disciplined in practice that what I tell customers will be the truth and I hope as my brand grows, my team will also have impeccable integrity and unmatched customer service skills. I am free of artificial coloring and preservatives. I only use natural flavors and colors that honor my promise of vegan and friendly for those with dye sensitivities. As a healthcare practitioner I also have low sugar and sugar free options that do not cause traditional gastrointestinal upset and related issues alot of sugar substitute treats cause. What really makes me stand out is that I am a vegan friendly confectioner, who does take the extra time to use real seaweed and agar in my products for the extra health benefits and vitamins both of these products can provide. The simple agar powder does not provide any health benefits. Kandy Seoul is a veteran owned, nurse owned, Korean American owned business. I am also very pleased to be offering international shipping and networking overseas to bring these unique creations around the world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

An important lesson I had to unlearn is that I have to be perfect. There is no perfect way or timing or recipe for success. Just go out and start, that is the hardest part, the scariest, but so critical. It is okay and a normal part of growth to fall down, make mistakes, fail. You are new, not dumb. Learn from the failures and challenges and keep growing. Being perfect can be a toxic trait that will hold you down as there is no such thing. The backstory is I have always suppressed what I have wanted and my own growth because I was not sure if “now was the right time” or if I was the right person at the time to actually pursue my own dreams. Do not be silly they are your dreams, go pursue them.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I really believe in looking at ones own strengths and weaknesses. Find people and build a team who are strong in your weaknesses. Surround yourself with people you want to be like and or become. After you figure out how to self manage, it greatly helps one manage other people. As a manager, you have to instill the company mission and values all the while leading by example. The people that you manage are almost like customers, why do they want to work for you opposed to someone else? Really hone down on everyones “why” and bring this to the table for best employee and employer relations. Everyone wants to feel valued and not like another number.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kandyseoul.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kandyseoul?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=
• Facebook: Kandy Seoul
• Other: http://tiktok.com/@kandyseoul My tiktok account

Image Credits
Phillip Park