What is Wadipay?

"Miracles don't just happen."
We’re carefully compiling the success stories of makers who have successfully completed funding efforts and sharing them widely, like Wi-Fi, to help create new miracles for aspiring makers.

"After wrapping up our wadiz funding campaign, we started getting a lot of inquiries from outside sources.
I’ve received partnership inquiries from cafes across the country, and companies have reached out with requests for supply or bulk purchases.”

People often think of witches as scary figures who cast evil spells and harm those around them. But here is a maker who replies with a brightsmile, “When I think of a witch, I picture a multi-talented woman!” 

We met CEO Kim Jong-mi, who namedher company “The Witch’s Kitchen”because she felt the image of a witch secretly crafting things resonated with her.

wadiz: Your company name really makes an impact.

The Witch’s Kitchen: For some reason, I’ve always thought of a witch not as an evil person under the devil’s influence, but as a versatile person who works alone in secret, deeply absorbed in constantly creating something. That image is actually quite similar to me. I was brainstorming names that included the word “witch,” and right before registering the business name, the phrase “The Witch’s Kitchen” popped into my head, so I decided on that.

Sometimes people misunderstand it as “The Devil’s Kitchen” or “The Witch’s Table,” but since it’s such a striking name, I like that so many people remember it well.



Wow: Just as you said, you’re making so many different things.

Source: The Witch’s Kitchen website

Ma: Yes, I mainly make beverages. I used to run a café myself. Due to certain circumstances, I had to close the café and was doing other work when the detox juice recipes I’d been posting on my blog in my spare time suddenly became popular. 

Back then, if you searched for “detox juice,” my blog was the only one that came up at the top. I even got contacted by TV stations. That was the catalyst for starting “The Witch’s Kitchen.” It’s been five years now.



Wa: You’ve mainly been making health juices—how did you come to develop milk tea?
Ma: Originally, the milk tea wasn’t meant for sale. I was thinking about what I could give to customers who ordered juice as a token of my appreciation, and that’s when milk tea came to mind. I’ve always loved milk tea. I used to visit every café known for its delicious milk tea. Just a few years ago, many places sold milk tea made with powdered mixes, but the taste wasn’t very good.

Plus, since it contains milk, I figured it would be really hard to ship. That’s when I found a café selling cold-brewed milk tea. At that moment, “Ah, if I just provide the milk tea base separately, people can make it at home without worrying about the shelf life,” That’s when I started developing the product.

It used to be hard to find a good milk tea café in the countryside, but thanks to The Witch’s Kitchen, I can enjoy it now

But the response to this base, which I’d sent out as a gift, was much better than I expected. Some people even asked if they could buy it separately. That’s why I started selling it.



Wa: You make it without any synthetic additives—just organic sugar and tea leaves. That must take a lot of effort.

Ma: The Witch’s Kitchen is a company that puts people first. Because we prioritize health, we don’t add any additives—we brew the tea leaves ourselves and send them to you. That’s how we create a milk tea base with a subtle sweetness and aroma that many people can enjoy without any concerns.

First, we test various types of tea. Even for a single type of tea leaf, the processing methods differ depending on the origin or manufacturer, so the taste and aroma vary. After repeating the testing process several times, we blend the tea with other ingredients to find the optimal ratio. When we first announced that we were going to make milk tea, our employees were all thrilled because they love milk tea too. 

But since we have to do so many tests, they’ve been finding it a bit tough lately. Some even say they have trouble falling asleep at night (laughs). However, since we need to go through multiple rounds of testing to distinguish the subtle differences in flavor and create the best milk tea base, we meticulously follow every step of the process, even though it’s labor-intensive.



Wa: I can sort of see why your maximum daily production capacity is 2,000 bottles. So this is how you test and make each one individually.
Ma: After the funding campaign, orders for our milk tea base skyrocketed. Since orders exceeded what we’d been producing, I started wondering if there was a way to make larger quantities more efficiently. So I tried various approaches. But in the end, when we tested them, the best-tasting result was always the one that went through the most difficult and complex process.

We can’t compromise on taste or production volume, right? We’re a food company, after all.Even though it takes a lot of effort right now, we have no intention of simplifying the manufacturing process just to sell more.We plan to make changes only when we find a way to increase production while maintaining the original flavor.

Wa: This milk tea is clearly made with great care. Since aroma and taste vary from person to person, how do you set your standards?

Ma: We conduct blind taste tests with as many people as possible. We mobilize the entire company. First, we select a flavor that’s popular and won’t be off-putting to the general public. Next, we conduct tests with people who can detect subtle differences in flavor. 

At that stage, their comments were almost unanimous. The most important criterion for me is that it tastes good to me, haha.



Wa: You achieved back-to-back successes, raising about 11 million won in your first funding campaign and about 16 million won in your second. Now, your third funding campaign has already surpassed 2,300% of its target. What made you decide to launch your first funding campaign?

Ma: To be honest, I didn’t go to wadiz specifically to run a funding campaign. I think I just came across it while searching for online shopping sites like Ku* or 11be*—I don’t even really remember how I found out about it, since I wasn’t looking for it with any particular purpose in mind. 

I was just browsing as a supporter when and thought, “Oh, there are a lot of interesting things here,” and would pop in every now and then to check things out.

The decision to launch funding came later. We were in a marketing meeting when our team leader said, “Milk tea bases like this are hard to find—isn’t there a place where we can promote something this unique?” That’s when it clicked in my head: “Unique = wadiz.” 

So I said, “I know just the place!” and showed them wadiz. Then our marketing team leader said, “Let’s give it a try.”



Wa: Did you expect such great results?

Ma: Since wadiz is full of such unique and innovative products, I thought only true experts in a specific field or really special people could do it. I never imagined I’d be able to run funding myself. 

So while I had a vague thought during preparations—‘Maybe I could…?’—I didn’t expect so many people to participate. Plus, to start the funding campaign, we had to temporarily suspend sales on our website (wadiz doesn’t allow funding for products already being sold elsewhere!), and since word-of-mouth was really picking up, I was hesitant to take on that risk. 

But I can now say with certainty that it was the right choice. I started getting inquiries from various places even before the funding had ended. I realized that wadiz’s reach is far greater than I had imagined.

Wa: I imagine your life has changed a bit before and after the funding process.
Ma: Once the funding ended, sales on our website skyrocketed. I saw a lot of comments saying, “I came here after seeing the wadiz funding campaign.” That alone was a fascinating experience. Since the market is so competitive, marketing was the hardest part. 

But it was great that a single funding campaign allowed me to raise funds, promote the product, and directly hear feedback and communicate with our supporters. I also received a lot of inquiries from outside sources. I’ve gotten partnership requests from cafes across the country, and companies have reached out about supplying products or making bulk purchases. 

Not long ago, someone preparing to open a café on Geoje Island contacted me, saying they wanted to sell our milk tea there. It reminded me of when I used to run a café, so I offered some advice based on my experience—and they even asked if they could name the café “The Witch’s Kitchen” (laughs). Amazing things like this keep happening.

Wa: I heard you also got a message from Taiwan recently.

Ma: Yes, we were really surprised too. Taiwan is considered the birthplace of milk tea, after all. The team leader who was sitting next to me joked that it was like getting a call from Egypt asking us to sell camels—and he seemed quite proud of it. 

It seems they’ve thoroughly reviewed everything, from how well our third funding campaign is going to the reviews from our supporters. We’re currently in discussions regarding potential collaborations.



Wa: You’ve been so successful that you’ve even received inquiries from Taiwan—congratulations! What’s the secret to your continuous success, from the funding campaign to your subsequent steps?
Ma: I’m still a bit shy to call it a success just yet :) First and foremost, I believe maintaining the highest standards of taste and quality is essential. We strive to incorporate our customers’ lifestyles into our products. I always emphasize to our employees that we must be a company deeply integrated into people’s daily lives.

We produce our products in base form so people can enjoy them without worrying about lactose intolerance or expiration dates, and we package them in individual ampoules so they’re easy to prepare not only at home or at the office, but also on the go. 

We also paid special attention to the packaging design to appeal to those who love posting photos on social media. We even align the labels on each individual ampoule so that customers feel happy the moment they open the package.

I’ve been following every one of their funding campaigns.
I spent a happy afternoon enjoying the milk tea from the first and second rounds, which exceeded my expectations, so I’m thrilled that the third round is now open!

It exceeds my expectations every time.

Paying attention to such fine details is labor-intensive and time-consuming. But thinking about where and how our customers will enjoy our products and tailoring them accordingly— 

I think that’s why our supporters keep coming back to us. Fortunately, since we’re a manufacturer rather than a distributor, we were able to set prices that aren’t too burdensome, which I believe played a big role as well.



Wa: I remember a comment from a supporter who said they wanted to bookmark “The Witch’s Kitchen” during funding! We’ll be able to see more great products in the future, right?

Ma: Absolutely. We work with a developer’s mindset—whenever we have a good idea, we try to create and implement it right away. Our biggest challenge right now is increasing efficiency while satisfying each and every customer. 

We’re figuring out how to increase production volume while maintaining both affordable prices and top-notch quality. We plan to try various approaches, such as producing larger-volume packages.



Wa: Finally, as a seasoned maker, could you share a word of advice for makers preparing for a wadiz funding campaign?

Ma: Even though I’ve been following wadiz for a long time, I never thought I’d become a maker myself. But now I’m convinced that even without advanced technical skills, as long as you have a clear sense of identity and and high-quality Rewards, anyone can take on the challenge of funding. 

Don’t hesitate—I hope you’ll just give it a try!

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