Chapter 1: Our Savory Start

Chapter 1: Our Savory Start

Welcome to The Persimmon Diaries!

It feels very fitting to share our very first newsletter (and diary entry) on Thanksgiving. After all, "Gamsa" (감사) means appreciation and gratitude, which is at the heart of everything we do. It’s the inspiration behind our name, our mission, and every step of this journey. 

We’re here to be honest and vulnerable about our journey of building Gamsa Foods. You’ll have first hand access into our team’s wins, challenges, excitement, fears, doubts, and frustrations. We’re writing this as a form of comfort while we do this really hard thing (building a food company) but hope it makes you a bit braver to do your own hard thing.

From Idea to Reality

The idea for Gamsa was technically born more than 7 years ago during endless conversations at a badly lit suburban mall, a sad work cafeteria, and a Whole Foods in New Jersey. It grew from small comments made in moments of disappointment and frustration when we wanted to escape reality and dream. We'd done everything that had been expected of us. We got the good grades, the scholarships, and the internships and took well paying, conventional jobs. As responsible first gen kids, we were looking out for our future and that of our families. We felt obligated to feel satisfied with this, happy even. But we wanted to do something we felt deeply proud of, we wanted to build. We just didn't know what exactly or that we needed to build ourselves up a little first. 

Since then we've definitely done a lot of that building. We built up confidence through experience, the courage to fall as many times as we need to, and most importantly, delusion. Now we're ready to take the next step. Gamsa is too big to remain just an idea. We're going to redefine what breakfast means in America with savory Korean flavors. Starting Spring 2025, you'll also be able to experience these flavors.

A Note From Sarah

Hi! Sarah here, the little kid you may have seen in Gamsa photos. So much of Gamsa Foods comes from my family and background.

As the daughter of South Korean immigrants, food has always been a way for me to stay connected to the family and culture my parents left behind. Gamsa Foods is my way of sharing that connection and honoring those roots. To me, it’s about gratitude—for the meals we share, the memories we create, and the people who support us along the way.

Although you'll hear from our collective team in these diary entries most of the time, you'll also hear directly from me pretty often! I can’t wait to share our progress with you!

A sneak peak into what we've been up to the last few months!

What We've Accomplished So Far

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