#16

The Magic Strawberry Maker’s
food funding campaign was a success.

3-Line Summary

• Magic Strawberry, which has spent 10 years researching premium Grade A fresh strawberries, launched a B2B strawberry jam business targeting café owners while continuing to operate its own café. 
• At a time when consumer demand for strawberry jam was low, they took on the challenge of a wadiz crowdfunding campaign and gained attention with a new product. Recently, they launched an ice cream that captures the authentic flavor of fresh strawberries—a product previously hard to find on the market—and raised 120 million won in funding. (Go to Project)
• Through communication and collaboration among planners, marketers, and designers, they crafted a compelling Story from the supporters’ perspective. Nearly 3,000 supporters chose Magic Strawberry.

🍓 Get special perks when you try your first wadiz funding campaign
Learn about first-time funding perks (click)

PART 1. The Beginning of Magic Strawberry

A brand created by strawberry enthusiasts with 10 years of dedicated research

Ji Young-ae, CBO of Magic Strawberry

Q. Hello. Could you please introduce Magic Strawberry and yourself?

Hello. I’m Ji Young-ae, CBO and planner at Magic Strawberry. Magic Strawberry is a brand that launched in 2018 by bringing the base of our strawberry latte—a popular menu item at a small café near a university—online. 

Initially, drawing on my experience running a café, I targeted café owners as my primary customers, and thanks to that, the brand began to grow. Currently, we’re expanding our customer base to B2C—that is, general consumers—and striving to be recognized as a premium strawberry brand.

Magic Strawberry uses only premium Grade A fresh strawberries—the very best in terms of size, shape, and freshness—even in products where the fruit pulp is mashed and blended so that the whole fruit is no longer visible. 

It’s already been 10 years since we began researching and developing strawberry products, and we create our products with the know-how we’ve accumulated over that time and our genuine passion for strawberries. After all, our team consists entirely of employees who love and adore strawberries (laughs). Going forward, we plan to roll out a series of strawberry products so that anyone can easily enjoy the most delicious strawberries.

December 2019: Raised over 20 million won in our first funding campaign for strawberry jam

Q. With the strawberry jam wadiz funding was your first attempt at funding.

Yes. Actually, when Magic Strawberry first made strawberry jam, there wasn’t a widespread B2C awareness of strawberry jam yet. We listed our products on general online shopping malls, but we really felt how difficult it was to reach consumers. 

Online shopping platforms typically work by displaying products when customers with a specific need or purpose search for them. For relatively unfamiliar products, consumers didn’t have keywords to search for—even if they needed them. That’s when our CEO suggested we try wadiz, which has many exploratory supporters, so we prepared a funding project.

Wadiz’s core mission is “supporting first attempts,” right? As soon as I saw the wadiz site, I thought, “This must be a great marketplace for brands like ours—brands introducing a new type of product to the world—to take on this challenge.” 

wadiz supporters also seemed like “people who want to discover and experience new things.” I decided it would be a great opportunity to introduce our strawberry jam—an unfamiliar yet appealing product—to them.Through the funding campaign ,we were able to raise significant awareness for Magic Strawberry and our strawberry jam, and it became a major turning point for our brand’s growth. 

PART 2. Expanding the Brand Through Food Funding 

Returning to wadiz with ice cream containing 38% Grade A fresh strawberries during funding 

Q. You’ve returned to wadiz three years after your first funding campaign.

Even after the strawberry jam funding, I still wanted to create other types of strawberry products. However, as our business with café owners expanded significantly, it wasn’t easy to develop new products. It took a full three years to establish a system that could reliably supply strawberry jam while maintaining the highest quality.

Magic Strawberry Ice Cream: Strawberry Smoothie Flavor (left), Strawberry Latte Flavor (right)

Once our supply stabilized and we had the capacity to develop new products, we pondered what to create. We concluded that ice cream is one of the strawberry products that general customers are most enthusiastic about. From the perspective of consumers who love both strawberries and ice cream, the biggest disappointment was the strawberry ice cream available on the market. Although they were marketed as “strawberry-flavored,” they were often a far cry from the taste of real strawberries. So, we developed two flavors of ice cream made with fresh strawberries. And just as we did when launching the strawberry jam project, we naturally turned to wadizfor funding because we felt it was the best platform to authentically share our Storywhen starting something new. 

Q. I imagine there were many supporters who had been eagerly awaiting Magic Strawberry all this time. How did supporters react to the strawberry ice cream? 

I occasionally saw positive supporter's reviews saying, “After trying the strawberry syrup, I fell in love with Magic Strawberry, so I trust them enough to buy the ice cream too.” It made me think, “We’re doing well. We’re heading in the right direction.” It was a huge source of strength and cheer. Thanks to the supporters who recognized Magic Strawberry and participated in the funding campaign, we were able to carry out the project with great joy. 

Q. You reached your fundraising goal of 120 million won. What do you think was the key to that success? 

First and foremost, I believe the biggest reasons were a product that met our target audience’s needs and a reasonable funding price.We used Grade A fresh strawberries to deliver the “authentic strawberry flavor” that our target audience—who lovestrawberries andice cream—had been craving,and we offered it at a price that wasn’t burdensome considering the taste and quality. I think so many people were drawn to it because it’s not just about the aroma and color—it’s a real strawberry-flavored ice cream packed with plenty of Grade A fresh strawberries.

At the 2023 Dessert Fair (left)
We announced the funding launch and held a tasting event (right)

I also believe our active online and offline promotional efforts played a significant role.When the“Launching Soon”Story was released,we participated in an offline dessert fair and held an ice cream tasting event for those who signed up for project notifications. We planned an event specifically for supporters to encourage those who tasted the ice cream to participate in the funding campaign. At that time, we received over 3,000 sign-ups for notifications. I think the combination of various marketing strategies created a snowball effect, leading to these great results. 

Q. Have there been any changes since you ran the strawberry ice cream funding campaign on wadiz?

We were grateful for the positive response to our strawberry jam, but the ice cream was met with even more explosive enthusiasm. We realized there are many general consumers who love strawberries. This helped us expand our brand’s target audience from B2B to B2C. Overall sales also increased after the wadiz funding campaign because consumers’ perception of the brand changed based on the funding campaign’s success alone.The strawberryice cream project has become a major asset for us.

On-set photoshoot for the strawberry ice cream product

Q. Do you have any memorable moments from preparing for the project? 

I remember the Rewards photoshoot the most. Magic Strawberry conducts its own outdoor photoshoots without a studio. Usually, photos turn out best when the sunlight is just right. But since the Rewards this time were ice cream, it would melt immediately if the sun was too strong. We needed natural light to take the photos, but the ice cream couldn’t melt—it was a real dilemma. 

I remember it especially well because our CEO—who’s the tallest among us—brought a sheer curtain to block the sun, and all the staff ran around trying to shoot as quickly as possible before the ice cream melted.

The Project Story from A to Z
Created by a team of planners, designers, and marketers

Excerpt from the Strawberry Ice Cream Funding Story
We used a variety of GIFs to help people imagine the strawberry flavor as vividly as possible

Q. I heard you created the Story in-house as well.

Everything—from product planning to production, distribution, marketing, and Story—was handled entirely in-house at Magic Strawberry.

Koreans know exactly what kind of sweet-and-sour flavor and flesh delicious strawberries have, right? So, what we prioritizedwas ensuring thatwhen supporters saw the Story,it would remind them of “the most delicious strawberry they’ve ever tasted.” Since online purchases don’t let you taste the product, we agonized over how to use visual elements alone to evoke that taste for our supporters.

We thought through every detail—from the staging to the design of each individual photo—carefully considering which keywords and copy to use to make that soft, sweet-and-tart flavor visually apparent, what font and motion to use for the text, and how to arrange props and set the shooting background.

Q. Was it difficult to write the Story? 

It was helpful to refer to stories from other projects as references. 

They played a major role in setting the overall direction of the story. Marketers, planners, and designers gathered to analyze the parts we felt were best in other projects’ stories and discuss them together. Weanalyzed why those elements resonatedand tried to find ways to apply those insights to our product. 

The thing I was most careful to avoid while creating the Story was getting stuck in the perspective of just the brand team. I made a conscious effort to view the product through the eyes of consumers and supporters. After all, we could easily end up just telling the story we wanted to tell. To ensure we could continually view the Story from fresh perspectives, I even intentionally scheduled breaks throughout the process.

wadiz supporters
instilling confidence in the brand’s direction

Q. What do wadiz supporters mean to Magic Strawberry?

Thanks to wadiz supporters, we’ve committed to expanding our customer base beyond B2B into B2C. By looking at the reviews and funding participation rates, we realized that both our strawberry jam and strawberry ice cream could be loved by general consumers. 

We recently established a new brand strategy team, which is dedicated to planning strategies specifically for the B2C market. Wadiz supporters have had a huge influence on Magic Strawberry’s direction. Even when the “strawberry jam” product line wasn’t very popular, our supporters—who sought out new experiences and responded with open minds and genuine enthusiasm— gave us the confidence to move forward with our brand activities and have enabled us to continue growing even now. 

After the funding campaign ended, nearly 1,000 posts were left by supporters in the Community.

Q. I’m curious about any memorable moments you had while communicating with supporters.

Since I was the one who planned the product, I was particularly moved by the reviews that meticulously pointed out the specific aspects we intended to highlight when developing the strawberry ice cream. I also remember the people who proactively reached out to us first. 

For example, I was truly grateful when I saw a review from someone who said they’d become a “Magic Strawberry” fan and followed our official Instagram account. I’ve always wanted to build a brand that communicates with customers like friends, and on wadiz, that happened naturally.I consider this a wonderfulopportunity. 

PART 3. A Message for Aspiring Makers

Give Wadiz Food Funding a Try—It Welcomes New Types of Products!

Q. What does it take to succeed with a food project on wadiz?

I believethe Rewards themselves should beconvenient, affordable ready-to-eat meals or functional products thatpeople can enjoy frequently . Of course, these days there are so many products that are easy to prepare, affordable, and healthy. So, in addition to these aspects, I strongly encourage you to think carefully about what sets your product apart—what your target supporters want and need. You can only build a brand that stands the test of time if you consider this differentiation throughout the entire project process.

Also, wadiz supporters love something new. It would be helpful to look at the makers and brands that are popular on wadiz and think about why they’re successful.

 It’s also essential to understand and narrow down your target audienceby asking yourself, “Which specific wadiz supporters would need my product?”Competition is fierce, and standing out can be difficult, but rather than copying other makers, I encourage you to keep thinking about what you want to convey to your supporters and what only you can offer.

Magic Strawberry Brand Strategy Team

Q. Finally, I’m curious about Magic Strawberry’s future plans.

We’d like to open an offline showroom where a strawberry festival takes place all year round. Right now, strawberry buffets and festivals are only held at specific hotels or venues during strawberry season, aren’t they? 

However, since we have the know-how to produce and supply delicious strawberries year-round , we plan to create such spaces even during the off-season—when strawberries aren’t typically consumed—to offer them to the many people who love strawberries.Through theseefforts ,we hope to spread the word about Magic Strawberries even further. 

Of course, we’ll also maintain good relationships with our current main customer base—café owners. If simply using our products in their stores serves as promotion and conveys an image of guaranteed quality, I believe this will naturally create a mutually beneficial relationship between Magic Strawberries and the cafés. We’ll keep moving forward as the “Strawberry Guardians,” dedicated to preserving the tastiest strawberries in both B2B and B2C markets.

🍓 We’re offering special perks for our first wadiz funding campaign
Learn about the first-time funding perks (click)

Want to read more articles about [Food Funding]?

• [Interview/Naebyeonsan Brewery] It Took 13 Months Just to Make It—Here’s the Strategy Chosen by This Story-Rich Traditional Liquor
• [WHY wadiz series] Vegan Products: Why Do They Thrive on Wadiz?

Makers, check out the services you need! 

• Check out the [Maker Events] currently open for applications
• Sign up for [wadiz funding workshops] led by funding experts
• Start your project with a [wadiz Expert Partner]

Interviewee Ji Young-ae, CBO; Written by Nam Hyun-sol; Edited by Han Ji-hye