O뚜기 honors founder ham tae-ho’s legacy of quality and service
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O뚜기, a South Korean food company, held a memorial service on November 11th to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of its founder, Ham Tae-ho.
Ham Tae-ho established the company’s precursor, 풍림상사, in 1969 and introduced processed foods like curry, soup, and mayonnaise to the South Korean market.
He prioritised product quality, believing food should be made “as if for our own family.” Ham Tae-ho also promoted the idea of “식품보국 (sikpum boguk),” or contributing to the nation through food, and stressed that companies should serve the country. This philosophy led to traditions like raising the national flag and singing the national anthem at company events. Beyond business, Ham Tae-ho consistently engaged in social contribution.
In 1992, he began supporting children with congenital heart disease through the Korea Heart Foundation, and in 1996, he established the O뚜기 Ham Tae-ho Foundation to fund scholarships and academic research. As of August of this year, O뚜기 has supported a total of 6,783 children with heart disease.
The company continues to uphold Ham Tae-ho’s principles, focusing on improving food quality and contributing to society, and recently opened a heritage space called ‘Ham Tae-ho Hall’ at its An양 plant. 함영준, the current O뚜기 chairman, pledged to continue his father’s vision of enhancing people’s diets.
