Micro Gardens

What Micro Gardens does

Micro Gardens (마이크로아티장) is a Korean specialty food brand operated by Strange Planet Co., Ltd. (주식회사 스트레인지플래닛) that produces and sells basil pesto sauces directly to consumers through its own e-commerce storefront at microgarden.co.kr. The company positions itself as a "basil specialty brand" (바질 전문 브랜드) with a focused line of three pesto variants: an Original Basil Pesto, a Tomato Basil K-Pesto featuring 40% basil content and positioned for dietary and patient-meal use cases, and a Gochujang Basil Pesto incorporating Korean chili paste. All products are domestically sourced (원산지:국산) and marketed for use in pasta, pizza, salads, and sandwiches. Micro Gardens was founded in 2009 and is led by CEO Maeng Dooho (맹두호); no external venture or institutional investment is disclosed.

The business model is exclusively direct-to-consumer. SKUs are priced uniformly at 18,900 KRW against a 21,900 KRW MSRP (approximately $14 USD), with free domestic shipping on orders above 32,000 KRW and a 3,500 KRW shipping fee below that threshold. Commerce is operated on the Cafe24 SaaS platform and integrates Kakao Login, Naver Login, and Naver Mileage payment to align with Korean consumer identity and loyalty rails. Customer engagement is driven through a membership program with point accumulation, coupon distribution, and regular-delivery discounts, supplemented by review boards, community galleries, and time-limited promotional events. International shipping is available to numerous countries including the US, Japan, China, Germany, the UK, and France.

Operations are anchored by a manufacturing/production facility in Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do (which doubles as the registered business address) and a warehouse and exchange/return center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, supporting 1–2 day domestic delivery. The product line is narrow by design, and there is no evidence of wholesale, retail, foodservice, or B2B distribution. The company's growth avenues visible from the data are international shipping, incremental SKU extensions within the basil category, and conversion of one-time buyers into membership-based regular-delivery customers.

Name

Micro Gardens

Legal name

주식회사 스트레인지플래닛

Website

https://www.microgarden.co.kr/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Micro Gardens is a tech company that produces customized fruits and vegetables cultivated from small buildings and stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Condiments (Basil Pesto Sauces)

NAICS

Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114)

SIC

Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033)

akta.pro primary industry

Pesto, Cooking Pastes & Concentrated Flavor Bases Manufacturing (AFAKADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary Herb Farming (Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Mint, Parsley) (AFAGAGAD), Greenhouse Herb & Microgreens Production (Culinary Herbs, Microgreens) (AFAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Basil pesto sauce
• Korean fusion condiments
• Domestically sourced sauces
• Specialty food brand
• Direct-to-consumer food

Headquarters

HQ city

Mapo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: The company generates revenue through direct sales of basil pesto products to consumers through its e-commerce platform. Products are sold at fixed prices with occasional promotional discounts and time-sale events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Micro Gardens manufactures and sells a focused line of three domestically sourced (Korean) basil pesto sauces — Original Basil Pesto, Tomato Basil K-Pesto (with 40% basil content, marketed for dietary and patient meals), and Gochujang (Spicy) Basil Pesto — primarily through its own direct-to-consumer e-commerce website, with applications for pasta, pizza, salad, and sandwiches. The company operates as a basil specialty brand under Strange Planet Co., Ltd.

Product overview

Micro Gardens (마이크로아티장) is a specialty basil brand operated by Strange Planet Co., Ltd. (주식회사 스트레인지플래닛). The company offers a focused product line of three basil pesto variants: Original Basil Pesto, Tomato K-Pesto (with 40% basil content), and Gochujang (Korean chili) Basil Pesto. All products are domestically sourced (원산지:국산) and designed for versatile culinary use including pasta, pizza, salad, and sandwiches, with some variants suitable for diet patients. Products are sold online via their Cafe24-powered e-commerce platform with international shipping to multiple countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Micro Gardens Tomato Basil K-Pesto (마이크로아티장 토마토 바질장 K-페스토) A tomato-basil Korean-Italian fusion pesto sauce containing 40% basil, made from domestically sourced (원산지:국산) ingredients and marketed for use in pasta, pizza, salad, and sandwiches; positioned for dietary and patient meal use. Frozen shelf life 12 months; refrigerated shelf life 1-2 months. Retail price 21,900 KRW; selling price 18,900 KRW.
• Micro Gardens Original Basil Pesto (마이크로아티장 바질장 오리지널 바질페스토) Classic Italian-style basil pesto sauce made with domestically sourced (원산지:국산) Korean basil as the primary ingredient, designed for versatile culinary use including pasta, pizza, salad, and sandwiches.
• Micro Gardens Gochujang Basil Pesto (마이크로아티장 바질장 고추 바질장 바질페스토) A spicy variant of basil pesto incorporating Korean gochujang (chili paste) flavors for local taste preferences, made with domestically sourced (원산지:국산) ingredients and intended for pasta, pizza, salad, and sandwich applications.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cafe24 (카페24)coreTechnology or IntegrationCafe24 provides the e-commerce platform infrastructure and hosting services for Micro Gardens' online store. The company operates its e-commerce operations on the Cafe24 platform, utilizing their shopping mall system for product listings, order management, and payment processing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Saclà: Italy-based pesto specialty brand; closest direct comparison as a pure-play pesto producer selling globally via retail and DTC, mirroring Micro Gardens' basil-specialty positioning.
• De Cecco: Italian premium pasta and pesto sauce producer; directly comparable as a pesto maker with retail and international distribution, though operating at far larger scale.
• Rao's Homemade: Premium Italian-American sauce brand (including pesto) sold through DTC and retail; comparable as a specialty, higher-priced sauce maker targeting health-conscious consumers.

Broad incumbents

• Barilla: Global Italian pasta and sauce giant with established pesto product lines; competes in the same end-use occasions but operates across a much broader packaged-food portfolio.
• Mutti: Italian premium tomato-based sauce specialist; comparable as a continental European sauce brand using Italian-grown raw materials and exporting globally.
• CJ CheilJedang: Korea's largest packaged-food conglomerate (bibigo, Haechandle); comparable as a domestic food manufacturer but operating at massive scale across categories versus Micro Gardens' single-category focus.
• Ottogi Co., Ltd. Major Korean food manufacturer (sauces, noodles, condiments); comparable as a domestic competitor selling ketchup and pasta sauces into the same Korean retail and foodservice channels.
• Sempio Foods: Korean condiment manufacturer best known for soy sauce and gochujang; relevant as a domestic Korean brand with export reach, though its category emphasis differs from pesto.

Emerging players

• Cucina Antica: Smaller premium Italian sauces producer focused on clean-label and specialty SKUs; comparable as a niche sauce brand competing against larger incumbents via differentiated ingredients.
• Tutto Pronto: Small-batch Italian pesto and sauce brand in the US market; comparable to Micro Gardens as a boutique pesto specialist selling direct and through niche retail.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Micro Gardens