Our Story

My name is Penny Park, I am a registered nurse of seven years but long before that | 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. Welcome to our family business.

Kandy Seoul was inspired by Korean treats and culture, such as Korean knots, also known as maedeup (매듭) and folklore dating back to the Three Kingdom period (57 BC to 668 AD). Knots of diverse colors were used as belts, identity tags, and as a decorative element on instruments, In the ruling palaces, knots were used to signify, dignity and prestige.

Our logo incorporates a tiger because the tiger has been strongly associated to Korea's history, traditions and folklore for long as the traditional knots, giving it special meaning to the 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 is 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.

All of our candies are vegan and gluten-free. Our candies are made with a unique ingredient called Hancheon (also known as Agar-Agar). Did you know? These candies are popular in Korea and also known as Hobakdang. Inspired by Korean sweets such as the Dalgona, yagkwa, hangwa, Hobakdang is 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. Yet, the Hobakdang recipe in itself is a Korean palace secret.

Kandy Seoul is a family Korean American and Hawaiian owned business. Born and raised in California, we have had the privilege of traveling the world through the United States Army. Welcome to our small business and thank you for your support. I hope my candies bring fun and creativity to your social circle and home. May the spirit of the Korean tiger visit your home and the perseverance of the Korean knot remind you that anything is possible!