Slow Basket –

We provides healthy foods to both global and domestic residents in Korea, in the manner of CSA program. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Customers can support small, family farms by purchasing their crops in advance. We will take the lead in supporting organic farmers and preserving endangered native breeds.

Slow Basket Core Values –

[accordian] [toggle title=”First, We solely deal with environment-friendly, organic, non-GMO produce and more importantly indigenous breeds, the Ark of Taste, and so on, all of which are in need of preservation.” open=”no”]

“Korea still has far more to go as eco-friendly ways of farming makes up only 8% of the entire agriculture. The environment-friendly foods are safe and preserve the nature.”

It is distinguished in two categories. One, the produce that are grown without the use of organosynthetic pesticides and only with the use of less than one-third of recommended amount of applied chemical fertilizers. Two, the organic produce that are grown without the use of organosynthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers for longer than the transition period (3 years for perennial plants, 2 years for annuals and biennials).

It is distinguished in two categories. One, organic animal products that
are raised by supplying organic foods without the use of antibiotics, synthetic antimicrobials and hormones. Two, the non-antibiotic animal products that are raised by supplying non-antibiotic foods without the use of antibiotics, synthetic antimicrobials and hormones.

In 1993, Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) from England has declared the following five types of freedom with regards to the ethical environment in which animals should be raised.

Freedom from thirst and hunger / Freedom from discomfort / Freedom from pain, wound and diseases / Freedom to express normal behaviors / Freedom from fear and distress

GMO, which stands for Genetically Modified Organism, refers to organisms that are created by artificial synthesis of unrelated DNAs and also the produce that are developed to possess genetic characters or DNAs that cannot occur by natural mating and/or recombination. It is yet not predictable what types of side effects it will bring to our bodies and environment.

Indicates the seeds that are adapted to our soil and climate. These seeds have been filtered and selected over thousands of years as to be best suited to our physical conditions. They not only are natural for our body but also guarantee stable yields as long as harvested seeds are treated properly and planted in the following year, since it is possible to collect the seeds from them.

Although we were able to consume over 1,000 varieties of foods during one year up until 1960s, now there are less than 200 types of foods at our disposal. (We were able to consume over 1,000 varieties of foods up to the 1960s, but now there are less than 200 types of foods survived in our country.) International Slow Food project, the Ark of Taste, strives to preserve traditional agricultural products in danger of extinction. Over 15,000 types of foods are currently registered in the entire catalogue, 99 of which are from Korea in 2018.
[/toggle] [accordian] [toggle title=”Second, We will altogether practise sustainable living by introducing minimal and eco-friendly packaging.” open=”no”]

“While planning WWOOF Basket, our major concern has been about packaging.We could not use packaging methods that are detrimental to nature while supplying ethically grown produce. Though relatively inconvenient as well as cost-intensive, we shall continue to pay attention to and practice sustainable living.”

We try our best not to use plastics. Leaf vegetables will be packaged in papers and root vegetables in used newspapers. In case of unavoidable plastic use, we use eco-friendly biodegradable plastics.

*Have you heard of Nongmin (Farmers) newspapers? It is the newspaper that is published every two days dealing with stories of Korean countryside as well as agricultural activities. Nongmin newspaper company donates newspaper copies to be used in packaging as it identifies with the intent of Slowbox. Nongmin newspapers website

We try our best not to use styrofoam. We use paper boxes that could be recycled and also box tapes that are made of paper as well.

Paper boxes used in posts are recycled. We will be sending out large sack made out of recycled banners together with parcel forms in all the posts. When collected at least five of the paper boxes, you can post them in the sack as pay on delivery and for those who participate we’ll reserve points for you accordingly. You will be part of this, right?
[/toggle] [accordian] [toggle title=”Third, We will deliver stories of the farmers’ philosophies and lives as well as our neighbors who actively support farming communities.” open=”no”]

“We delivers stories of the farmers’ as representations of their endeavor and life philosophies. Moreover, we will also share stories of our neighbors including the international residents who support organic farmers by consuming ethical foods. The blog will be a platform upon which the stories of both farmers and consumers will be updated thereby everyone comes together hand in hand through life stories.”
[/toggle] [accordian] [toggle title=”Fourth, We will sponsor non-profit organizations that are helping Korean agriculture in various forms without being noticed.” open=”no”]

“In the midst of challenging period when rates of food self-sufficiency in Korea is only 23% we will sponsor 5% of our sales profit to non-profit organizations that directly and indirectly help farming activities. For starters, we support WWOOF Korea that works to link volunteers and organic farmer hosts in exchange of food and accommodation and labor as well as International Slow Food Association which realizes the Ark of Taste that preserves and supports slowly disappearing agricultural products.”
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