The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) has awarded Yong Kim, owner of Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market in Duluth, Georgia, with the IGA USA International Retailer of the Year and the Fresh Innovation Awards.
Kim and his team were recognized at the IGA Awards of Excellence Ceremony on Monday, February 24, in Las Vegas, Nevada. IGA honored the Kims along with seven other U.S. retailers and IGA Australia and South Africa’s International Retailers of the Year. The awards are the highest honors the Independent Grocers Alliance bestows upon its retailer members and are presented annually to grocers who have best provided leadership and excellence in their communities. The store was nominated by their Licensed Distribution Center MDI.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Kim, his team, and their seven stores in the greater Atlanta area.
Namdaemun, or "The Great Southern Gate," holds deep historical significance as the first National Treasure of South Korea. Dating back to 1414, the gate is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall that once surrounded the city of Seoul, a bustling hub of commerce and trade for grains, fish, fruit, and various goods.
Inspired by this rich history of their culture, Yong Kim and his family opened Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market in Duluth, Georgia in 2005. Today they have expanded to seven more locations, but the Duluth store remains the family’s show stopper, where cultural diversity meets quality and freshness for a shopping experience unlike any other.
From the moment you walk in, you’re hit with a sensory explosion of vibrant colors and fantastically diverse fresh offerings in an atmosphere designed to feel like an exotic open-air market, but with team members at the ready with helpful insights on everything from the origin of products to recipe inspiration.
The Kim family’s commitment to freshness starts in the produce department, where unmatched variety and quality have earned Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market the reputation as the Atlanta area’s go-to source for fruits and vegetables from the local area and around the world.
The meat department is no different, drawing a loyal following from shoppers of every ethnicity looking for artisan-level cuts of beef, pork, chicken, lamb and goat.
Then there’s the spectacular seafood department, with seafood selections flown in from seafood markets in New York City and Boston, including live fish and lobster for a dining experience as fresh as catching it yourself.