The HESA team from Hanyang University won the grand prize in the “New Brand Idea Proposal” category at the 2025 Lotte GRS industry-academia collaboration project, where they presented a concept for a premium Korean food brand.

This project, held as part of Lotte GRS’s ESG management initiative, aimed to create ideas for sustainable dining business models that can be applied directly to real operations. Thirty undergraduate students from the SUM Federation of Management Strategy Societies competed in six teams over two months on the theme of “new brand concepts and new growth engines.”

The HESA team was highly praised for transforming the familiar dish “gukbap” into a refined brand experience. Their proposed brand “Samrak” is built on the philosophy of “a bowl where threefold joy resides,” with the signature dish “Samrak Gukbap” starting as a rice bowl and completed by pouring in broth.

Team leader Seo Ju-won (4th year, School of Business) explained, “We wanted to move beyond gukbap’s traditional image and design an aesthetically pleasing dining experience with a refined interior and presentation. We focused on planning the ‘process’ of eating, allowing customers to enjoy it in diverse ways according to their preferences.”

Beyond differentiated menus, Samrak’s overall brand plan and strategy stood out for their detail. The HESA team carefully designed the initial site selection for the first store and prepared realistic marketing strategies, including SNS campaigns, outdoor advertising, and partnership marketing.

Seo shared, “We focused on long-term strategies to sustain the brand, not just short-term promotions. We envisioned cooking actual menu items for content, operating a dedicated magazine account, and building a branding strategy centered on digital channels.” Seo also emphasized, “We went beyond market research to analyze consumer behavior, even mapping out concrete store visit flows and behavior patterns to draw customers into actual stores.”

The preparation process was not without challenges. Seo recalled, “It was an appealing topic, but we didn’t know how to set the scope and depth of planning, which felt daunting.” As a leader, Seo strived not to show uncertainty, continuously consulting with teammates and mentors to build a persuasive proposal. Seo added, “There were many sleepless nights and moments of exhaustion, but I tried to stay positive. As I focused on problem-solving, the path gradually became clearer.”

Seo stated that the greatest driving force was the team’s unity. “Everyone ran toward the same goal with one heart and one mind, which allowed us to achieve good results,” Seo expressed gratitude toward the teammates.

Reflecting on personal growth, Seo mentioned developing most in terms of “process leadership.” Seo said, “I gained the perspective to oversee the entire project as a leader. I learned that if you persistently hold onto a seemingly impossible problem, eventually you will find a clue.”

Currently, the proposal is under review for potential use in operating a pilot shop. Seo concluded, “I understand that the company is preparing to review it, and we are looking forward to hearing good news.”