IMUNIKA at MAUM Market: matching a coffee sample to the next purchase
Watch IMUNIKA's founder discuss whole beans and drip bags. Use the interview to plan a sampling offer and a clear next purchase at a local event.
Dahna, original May 2026 interview footage
In this article
Overview
IMUNIKA's founder recommends a whole-bean coffee ritual, then reports shopper interest in drip bags after tasting. The useful distinction is between the product a founder most wants to introduce and the format a visitor can easily take home. A sampling plan should make the next purchase understandable without assuming why a shopper chose it.
Watch the IMUNIKA founder interview
In this interview
- 1:10The founder's first-product recommendation
IMUNIKA's founder recommends the whole-bean format for the coffee ritual.
- 1:31What shoppers bought at the market
The founder reports shopper interest in drip bags after tasting. The interview does not establish an independently measured conversion rate.
Read the video transcript
Transcribed with automated tools and lightly edited. Unclear audio is marked. Product claims are the speakers' own statements.
Five Korean consumer brands ranging from food and skincare to cosmetics and shampoo. Their founders flew in from Korea for MAUM Market and Dahna got to sit down and hear their stories. From the first idea to the booth they're standing in today. Here's what they shared with us and let's start with IMUNIKA.
Can you introduce your brand to us?
Hi, our brand is called IMUNIKA. We're starting a new category of a wellness specialty coffee. I know that coffee lovers care about what they taste because it's a ritual in the sensory journey for them. But I know the routine can be better than what you have been experiencing.
My mother and my grandmother, they were all fermentation experts. And in Korea, we treat food like a medicine. So using our fermentation technique, we're combining the whole bean specialty coffee with the mushroom's healthy benefits. So we have our own patented way to only use the ingredient, putting them into the beans. without the flavor of any han-yak.
It's lower in caffeine, much gentler on your body, very easy to drink on your empty stomach. It's less acidic, less bitter, very smooth on the mouthfeel.
If you're going to try your coffee, that means you care about what you drink. So that'll be our IMUNIKA Red Whole Bean. This is a genuine whole bean coffee, medium light roasted, but went through the bio-fermentation process in Korea. You can grind, brew, and really love and enjoy your morning ritual. But coffee ritual and wellness ritual combined.
What ended up being the best-selling product today at MAUM Market?
Oh, yes. Actually, people came here for just a sip of taste of coffee, then fell in love with this. So, actually, they bought a lot of our drip bags, too.
Which we just entered the Korean Air in-flight duty-free. We're the first and only Korean coffee brand to be in the in-flight duty free. So you can grab these right now at [airline name unclear], [additional airline name unclear].
If you come to our website, www.imunika.com, we sell it through our website. Also, we are in the specialty subscription platform called Bean Box.
Dahna recorded the conversation at MAUM Market San Francisco in May 2026. At 1:10, the founder recommends the whole-bean format; at 1:31, she describes interest in drip bags after tasting. Her comments describe the activity as she experienced it. They are not an independently measured conversion report.
The product story and the take-home format do different jobs
The founder's whole-bean recommendation emphasizes a coffee ritual. The reported response to drip bags raises a separate merchandising question: what is practical for a visitor to buy and use after the event? The recording does not establish whether convenience, price, equipment or another factor drove that choice.
Keep the distinction in the brief. Introduce the product story, then make available formats easy to compare. The interview also includes product and wellness statements; this editorial analysis does not validate those claims. The marketing question here is how sampling connects to a clear offer.
Build the path from sample to offer
Illustrative example for a consumer brand preparing an LA or SF pop-up: walk through the offer as a first-time visitor. If the sampled format differs from what someone takes home, explain the difference explicitly. Do not leave the customer to infer equipment, preparation or pack size.
| Visitor question | Information the brand should prepare |
|---|---|
| What did I just try? | A consistent product name and explanation. |
| Which format can I buy? | Visible options, pack sizes and prices. |
| What will I need to use it? | Clear preparation directions and any required equipment. |
| Where do I find this later? | A direct link to the relevant product or format. |
| Why did I choose this option? | An optional feedback question, separate from the transaction record. |
Use the same clarity for seeding, sponsorships and pop-ups
For local product seeding, the recipient needs instructions that travel with the sample. For a sponsored event, confirm who will explain and distribute it. At a staffed pop-up, prepare the team to connect the demonstration to the specific format on offer. Each arrangement creates different responsibilities and different opportunities to learn.
Discuss LA and SF opportunities with organizers before treating them as confirmed placements. After the activity, compare samples distributed, format choices and identifiable follow-up purchases separately. A useful observation can improve the next offer even when there is not enough evidence to calculate a reliable conversion rate.
Sources & further reading
Connect the sample with a clear next step
Work directly with Ana to turn product questions into an explanation, demonstration and destination that customers can use.
Why consider Dahna for this work?
Dahna brings bilingual Korean and English strategy together with creator, content, and measurement work for brands growing in the US. You can review the people behind the recommendations and the kind of work we propose before starting a conversation.
Founder experience includes prior and contracted roles. Sample deliverables illustrate our approach; they are not client results or a performance promise.
