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K im Tae-gyun (Russel) had an idea for a café using only fresh fruits and veg- etables, but he knew he couldn’t do it alone. He approached his parents with the concept and they embraced it, deciding to make it a family venture. They opened the café, Fruit & Vegeta- ble Land, in June near Korea Universi- ty. Since then it has attracted a steady stream of students and office workers alike, creating a friendly environment and popular meeting place. Local business owners, especially from the Dongdae- mun area one bus stop over, often visit the café for a refreshing break. The café is modeled after popular juice chains in the West, but improves on the idea by using only the freshest ingredi- ents. Its selling point is no doubt the high quality of fruit used in their main items. Fruit and Vegetable Land’s mission is to help people enjoy a healthy life, and Kim has created a menu to endorse his mission. Before opening the café, he visited several establishments in Seoul to see which beverages were the most sought after by customers and why. He built his menu based on his research and his experience in Canada studying hotel management. The most popular item on the menu is the fruit ice frappe, or bingsu, a tra- ditional Korean shaved ice dessert, and there is almost nothing better to beat the summer heat. The café’s bingsu starts with the usual topping of red beans over shaved ice, but finishes with a mountain of fresh fruit. Fruit & Vegetable Land’s take on the local classic has seven kinds of fruit, including mango, strawberry, kiwi and pineapple, making for a refreshing dessert any time of the day. “The concept of bingsu is almost un- heard of by foreigners, because it’s something unique to South Korea,” Kim says. “I thought that foreigners would like the ice frappes if they just had the chance to try one, and I think a visit to our café will convince them.” For those wanting to grab a drink to go, the same fresh fruits used for the bingsu are also turned into smoothies, and what is immediately noticeable from the first sip is the overwhelming taste of fresh fruit. Kim says no artificial sweeteners are added to the drinks; instead, they use sugar cane and agave syrup. “Sometimes when I go to other cafés, they use so much sugar in their smooth- ies that I have to drink water right after- ward. We don’t do that here,” Kim says. “We only use fresh fruit, and we’re al- ways thinking of the next menu item.” Kim will soon return to Incheon Nation- al University to study business adminis- tration, but he will continue to develop Fruit & Vegetable Land by expanding the menu’s offerings. MorE INFo j Fruit & Vegetable Land Sinseol Station, line 1 or 2, exit 1 1F, 41-36, Anam-dong 4-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul Phone (02) 929-1351 Website fb.com/FruitandVegetableLand blog.naver.com/ktkws Sweet Summ er SenSation S fruIt & VegetabLe Land crafts seas onaL concoctIons that put freshness fIrst Story by Elizabeth Kim / photos courtesy of Fruit & Vegetable Land