A female entrepreneur who revived a traditional craft business by infusing MZ-generation sensibilities into organic guasas: the maker of "Nottban"
Creating Gua Sha Tools from Hand-Forged Brass
A Female Entrepreneur Reviving a Traditional Craft
What can be made from Korea’s traditional hand-hammered brass? You might think of various bowls and utensils.
But here’s a brand that makes gua sha tools from brass.
The brand is called Notban. The name means “falling in love with brassware.”
Today, we met with Notban CEO Lee Yoon-jung to hear about her startup journey and her wadiz funding campaign.
Falling in Love with Brass Tableware
Lee Yoon-jeong, CEO of Notban—which achieved annual sales of 1.7 billion won last year—says she didn’t start out in the hand-hammered brass business. Initially, she was involved in the content industry, giving lectures at academies, cultural education programs, and various institutions.
Then, when her husband’s kitchenware company—which he had been running for 45 years—launched a hand-hammered brassware line, she visited the factory.
She felt it would be a shame to simply outsource the production of hand-hammered brassware—a traditional cultural heritage—as an OEM. So, driven by her passion, she brainstormed various ideas and naturally became the CEO of Nokban.
The Harsh Reality of Traditional Manufacturing
CEO Lee Yoon-jung says that traditional manufacturing businesses face particularly tough challenges. She explains that this is because, since they rely on traditional techniques, there are often no successors.
She says she has partially addressed this issue with “equipment unique to Notban.” By utilizing machinery for processes that don’t absolutely require a master craftsman, she can streamline production and focus more on worker safety.
In fact, since this equipment reduces the process by three steps compared to standard molds, it allows for the production of a greater volume of products.
Gua Sha Tools Made from Hand-Hammered Brass
The project launched on wadiz—featuring body gua sha tools and pet bowls—has recently received funding for a cumulative total of approximately 230 million won.
In light of this, the wadiz funding manager at Nonban says that launching the wadiz funding project was a stroke of genius.
The idea for the brass gua sha, funded through wadiz, originated from a story shared by a customer—specifically, the idea of using spoons and plates for massage. That’s when they decided to try making a gua sha out of hand-hammered brass.
Since hand-hammered organic brass has antibacterial properties, products made from it that come into contact with the skin—especially the face—can be used with confidence. In fact, CEO Lee Yoon-jung says she keeps her heart-shaped gua sha tool in the bathroom. She explains that after washing her face, she massages her face and body with the Notban organic gua sha tool and loves that she can just casually set it down on the bathroom shelf.
A Strategy That Captivates the MZ Generation
CEO Lee Yoon-jeong says she studies the food culture that today’s generation enjoys and conceives products that make people think, “You can make this out of brass?”
That’s why Notban’s products are generally modernized. In fact, the company has even sponsored dramas popular with the MZ generation.
However, it wasn’t easy from the start.
When she held her previous executive position, she only had to focus deeply on a single area, but upon becoming CEO of Notban, she had to figure out how to capture both the domestic and international markets and how to create content—which meant she had to become both a marketer and a developer.
She said it felt like she accomplished in three years what would normally take 30—can you even imagine how difficult those times must have been?
CEO Lee Yoon-jung tells aspiring entrepreneurs that a “business plan” is the most important thing. She says that starting a business without properly writing a business plan is sheer arrogance.
She added that starting a business is more about “effort” than “luck,” so it’s best to begin with the resolve to dedicate your life to this venture.
🎬 Watch the video to learn more about Notban Maker’s startup journey and funding story
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