Visiting the Home of Nenia’s Products

Onsaemiro Farm CEO Kim Jong-gu

* Onsaemiro: “Just as it is,” in its natural, uncut, unaltered state.

Yogurt Holding the Spirit of Hoyeonjigi (vast, righteous spirit)

“Thank you, cows”

The Middle East, where 90% of the land is desert—he once worked there, in countries where summer temperatures reached 40–50°C. In the 1970s and 80s, when Korea actively took part in the Middle East construction boom to drive economic growth, he also headed to Saudi Arabia to support his family. He married in 1980, worked in woodworking and interior construction in Seoul, and then went abroad to earn money. Unlike Korea, where trees, grass, and flowers are visible the moment you look up, it was hard to find any greenery there.

This is the story of Kim Jong-gu, head of Onsaemiro Milk, the dairy that supplies milk for Nenia yogurt.

Working in the Middle East, Kim says he “came to see himself clearly.” Life abroad, and then the question of what to do after returning home, weighed heavily on him. Determined to go back to his hometown region, he moved to Asan in South Chungcheong Province and purchased seven calves with the money he had earned overseas. He raised them diligently for a year, sold them, and used the money to buy two dairy cows—thus beginning his farm. He had no experience, but after attending training programs during the dairy-farm boom of the time, he opened the path to running a farm. This was the beginning of Onsaemiro Farm.

The Cows of Onsaemiro Farm

They Eat Pesticide-Free Forage

Onsaemiro supplies the milk used in Nenia’s blueberry yogurt, strawberry yogurt, and Plain Yogurt From Nature. On August 11, Nenia visited Onsaemiro Farm to interview CEO Kim. We arrived just as the cows were eating hay. The sight of mother cows and calves eating side by side was warm and peaceful. Though the cows were simply eating, their synchronized movement—heads stretched over the feed trough—felt almost like they were greeting the visitors, who returned the greeting by meeting the cows’ eyes.

△ Greeting the cows at Onsaemiro Farm (Photo = Nenia)

The cows at Onsaemiro eat ryegrass, a type of hay grown without pesticides. The ryegrass is produced in Jeolla Province, and the entire year’s supply is purchased at once. Kim also grows ryegrass himself on about 15,000 pyeong (roughly 12 acres) of land to produce his own roughage (forage/hay). Sown in the fall and harvested in spring, ryegrass requires no pesticides because winter pests are absent. 

He mixes in about 5% imported hay, such as alfalfa—known as the “queen of forage”—and soft-leaf timothy. These imported hays are added because they are high in protein. 

At Onsaemiro, the feed ratio is 40% concentrate feed to 60% roughage. Most farms rely more heavily on concentrate feed, but Kim increases forage content deliberately. 

“When you feed too much concentrate, milk volume increases but quality goes down. Children eat our yogurt, so even if production decreases, I raise the forage ratio to get healthier milk. Quality comes first.” 

Generally, meat and milk from grass-fed animals contain more omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, E, and K, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and abundant antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamin C.

No Hormone Use — Calves Born Through Natural Breeding

Kim explained, “Cows are meant to eat a lot of grass,” and then shared an important point—about reproduction.

△ Cows at Onsaemiro eat 60% forage and give birth through natural breeding, not artificial insemination. (Photo = Nenia)

Cows fed excessive concentrate gain weight and size, but may develop digestive issues and reproductive problems. Such cows often fail to conceive through artificial insemination, leading farms to use hormones to induce ovulation.

At Onsaemiro Farm, no hormones are ever used, and all calves are born through natural mating.

Yogurt Made with Milk Freshly Collected the Same Day

Every day at around 5:30 a.m., milking begins at Onsaemiro. Milk intended for Nenia yogurt is used immediately, fresh from that morning’s milking, and any remaining volume is delivered the same day to the local livestock cooperative—so no inventory is stored. 

Nenia yogurt is produced with same-day milk, pasteurized at low temperature before processing. Cows are normally milked twice per day.

Because Nenia yogurt uses freshly milked raw milk from Onsaemiro, it is extremely fresh. The live lactic-acid bacteria continue to stay active, so the consistency and flavor may vary slightly from batch to batch. Its shelf life is 20 days from the date of production. Nenia treats it as a fresh food and produces it made-to-order, shipping once per week.

△ Nenia Plain Yogurt From Nature, made with same-day milk (Photo = Nenia)

The blueberry yogurt uses puree made from Korean, pesticide-free blueberries and sterilized Korean Grade-1A antibiotic-free milk. According to the nutrition facts, it contains 17% of daily calcium per 100ml. The plain yogurt may form a layer of liquid at the top—this is whey, a natural by-product of fermentation in dairy products like milk and cheese. Whey contains good nutrients such as whey protein, calcium, and minerals, so it should be mixed and consumed rather than discarded.

Kim adds, “Our strawberry yogurt contains 6% strawberry purée. When mixed with milk, would that really make a bright red color? Never. It becomes a pale pink. Should we add artificial coloring to make it look ‘strawberry red’? Of course not. We make yogurt with the belief that simple, ingredient-faithful products are best.”

Accordingly, Nenia yogurt uses no colorants, flavorings, or synthetic additives of any kind.

Onsaemiro — “Just As It Is”

“Thank you, cows!”

“Onsaemiro” means natural, unchanged, uncut, just as it is. Kim’s daughter mentioned the word at the breakfast table one morning, and they decided to use it as the farm’s name.

△ Nenia’s yogurts are made with freshly milked raw milk and contain no synthetic additives, staying true to nature. (Photo = Nenia)

As of 2025, Kim has been running his farm for 45 years, and the Onsaemiro yogurt processing facility has been operating for 17 years. He believes that “today’s product must not differ from tomorrow’s,” and says that thanks to strict hygiene management, there have been no failed quality tests in years.

Running Onsaemiro allowed Kim to see the world in a new way. Through setting up the yogurt production process and making products, he realized: 

“Someone has to eat what I make for me to survive.”

He came to understand that we all depend on one another, and that one should treat no one carelessly.

“Just as I matter, others matter too.”

This is the insight he gained while running Onsaemiro.

△ CEO Kim Jong-gu of Onsaemiro Farm (Photo = Nenia)

He does regret one thing—when his children were young, he did not take them out often. He risked everything on his few cows, and time passed; he feels sorry that he did not spend more time with his children. Still, that is only part of the story. Wanting to raise his children with the spirit of hoyeonjigi (a noble, upright, expansive spirit), he and his wife built their own house 35 years ago. With high ceilings and big doors, the children grew up in an open, spacious home. His son now helps with the farm work, which reassures him greatly, and his daughter and wife also work hard on the farm.

Together with the cows that have been like family for a lifetime, Kim’s family continues to deliver healthy, safe food to the wider world from their home in Asan, South Chungcheong Province. In that sense, perhaps his life has been a successful one. among the most popular school-meal items are Nenia’s blueberry and strawberry yogurts. Within them are the philosophy of Kim Jong-gu and the life of his family, who have lived alongside their cows in Asan.

At the end of the interview, Kim turned to the cows and said: 

“Thank you, cows.”

Nenia Web Magazine Editorial Team

September 2025