Kwon Oh-tae from Donghae Aqua Unveils VINE7, a Seven-Day Vinegar Fermentation System, at SEOUL FOOD 2026

GOYANG--(Korea Newswire)--Donghae Aqua, also known as Donghae Aquarium, unveiled “VINE7”, a smart vinegar fermentation system, at SEOUL FOOD 2026, one of Asia’s leading professional food industry trade shows, held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, from June 9 to 12.

The newly unveiled VINE7 is a smart vinegar production system jointly developed by inventor and vinegar researcher Kwon Oh-tae, who brings more than 20 years of fermentation research and know-how, and Lee Chang-woo, CEO of Donghae Aqua and a Korean expert in Venturi technology.

The Dream of a Korean Miner in Germany Leads to Invention

In his youth, Kwon moved to Germany, where he worked in a mine and was exposed to industrial technology and European fermentation culture. Since then, he has spent more than two decades researching ways to combine traditional Korean fermentation techniques with European fermentation practices.

After returning to Korea, Kwon settled in a mountain village in his hometown, living close to nature while dedicating himself to research on agricultural products and fermented foods. His lifestyle was featured on a renowned Korean television program, drawing attention to his fermentation research using ingredients such as mandarin melon berries, persimmons, and Aralia elata shoots, as well as to his life as an inventor.

Reflecting on his motivation, Kwon said, “Seeing high-quality agricultural products fail to receive fair prices or even go to waste, I wanted to develop a technology that could provide practical support to farmers.”

That idea ultimately led to the development of VINE7 after years of research and experimentation.

Overcoming the Limitations of Traditional Jar Fermentation

Traditional vinegar production can take a year or longer. It also requires significant space and management. Maintaining consistent quality is also challenging due to fluctuations in temperature and oxygen supply caused by seasonal and environmental changes.

To address these challenges, Kwon worked with Lee to develop a system that precisely controls temperature, air circulation, and the microbial activity environment while preserving the core principles of natural fermentation. The system also incorporates related patented technology.

The result is VINE7, a smart fermentation system that preserves the principles of natural fermentation while scientifically controlling the fermentation environment, reducing the vinegar production period for various agricultural products to approximately seven days.

VINE7 enables the production of vinegar with consistent quality, while its 200-liter production capacity makes it suitable for use by both farms and small-scale entrepreneurs.

Technology That Enhances the Value of Agricultural Products

VINE7 is designed to be more than a machine. Positioned as a platform that can help create new value for agriculture, it transforms local specialties, including apples, grapes, persimmons, black raspberries, plums, mandarin melon berries, and ginseng, into high-value vinegar products, thereby supporting farmers in improving their income.

The system is also drawing attention as a potential new revenue model for farms, as it can be used to process agricultural products that are difficult to sell in conventional markets or are discarded due to oversupply.

Kwon said, “I have been concerned that agricultural products carefully grown by farmers often go to waste,” adding, “I wanted to create a system that would make it easier for anyone to produce and sell vinegar.”

During the development process, VINE7 received positive feedback from vinegar manufacturers who tested the system, with some describing it as an innovative product based on advanced fermentation technology.

From Korea to Farms Around the World

Donghae Aqua expects VINE7 to find applications not only in Korea, but also in agricultural fields around the world.

As climate change intensifies and agricultural price volatility continues to affect farmers, creating added value through agricultural processing has become an increasingly important priority for the global agricultural sector.

VINE7 can be deployed across a wide range of settings, from large-scale food manufacturing facilities to small farms, cooperatives, agricultural corporations, and agricultural processing centers.

Notably, the system is also expected to serve as a new income-generation model in rural areas of developing countries where agricultural storage infrastructure remains limited, as it enables vinegar production with only a stable electricity supply.

First Unveiled at SEOUL FOOD 2026

VINE7 made its debut in the agricultural machinery section at SEOUL FOOD 2026, which opened at KINTEX in Ilsan on June 9.

Lee Chang-woo, CEO of Donghae Aqua, the manufacturer of VINE7, said, “We have created a system that enables anyone to produce high-quality vinegar with greater ease by combining the wisdom of natural fermentation with scientific technology.” He added, “Beginning with SEOUL FOOD 2026, we hope this fermentation technology developed in Korea will create new opportunities for farmers around the world.”

About Donghae Aquarium

Donghae Aquarium, also known as Donghae Aqua, is a Korean Venturi technology company based in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do. Under the slogan “Science that compresses nature’s time, technology that enhances the value of agriculture,” the company has developed and introduced VINE7, a vinegar fermentation system, in collaboration with inventor Kwon Oh-tae.

VINE7 Marketing Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0LN_QehhvGU

Website: http://www.xn--zb0b031bgtcfud62y.com/

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This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.