UNM alum brings bold Korean flavors to the Duke City
When Hanmin Kim joined a campus international food festival as part of the Korean team, he had no idea the event would spark a movement. His homemade samgak gimbap—a Korean seaweed rice roll—quickly stole the show, drawing crowds and calls for more. Just months later, Kim launched Seoul Gimbap, a Korean street food business serving authentic flavors to an Albuquerque community hungry for something new.
Kim earned both his bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and his master’s in Business Analytics from The University of New Mexico. After graduating from the Anderson School of Management in December 2024, he wasted no time applying what he learned in the classroom to real-world entrepreneurship.
“After that festival, I realized there might be a real demand for Korean food in Albuquerque,” Kim said. “I like making food and I enjoy business, so that’s when I began researching how to do both.”
That research turned into action. Kim began Seoul Gimbap with a simple model: preparing Korean street food and offering pre-orders for pickup twice a week on campus. With help from friends, a dedicated Instagram page, and a custom-built website, orders quickly took off—often with 30 to 35 people lining up on Thursdays to claim their gimbap.
Gimbap—gim meaning seaweed and bap meaning rice—is a traditional Korean dish. When shaped into a triangle (samgak meaning triangle), it's similar to Japanese onigiri. It's made of seaweed-wrapped rice filled with flavorful proteins like bulgogi beef, spicy barbecue pork, or soy-marinated vegetables. Seoul Gimbap offered these fresh, fast, and affordable meal options. “We have a combo menu with miso soup, two gimbap rolls, and a drink for $10.99,” Kim shared.
Despite early success, staffing challenges temporarily put campus operations on hold. But the idea never left his mind. “It’s still in the back of my mind to bring it back. People really loved it,” he said.
During his time at UNM, Kim participated in the Innovation Academy, a 10-month program for aspiring entrepreneurs that meets biweekly in Santa Fe. Overseen by Professor Robert DelCampo, the program gave Kim a strong foundation in business formation, finance, and operations.
“It gave me a foundation for how to start an LLC, how to do taxes, and how to handle all the basics required to launch a business,” he said.
That foundation came in handy when Kim realized he needed a commercial space to prep his food. He rented a kitchen from a local church which was affordable and accessible at the time. But limited hours made it difficult to meet growing demand, especially after a short social media video unexpectedly went viral.
“It was this super awkward dance video that my helper and I posted—just ten seconds long—and it blew up with nearly 400,000 views,” Kim laughed. “Suddenly, people were DMing us: ‘What’s your location? What are your hours?’ That’s when I realized we needed a permanent space.”
Social media helped fuel the rise of Seoul Gimbap, but so did the Albuquerque community. “I lived in Atlanta before, where there are lots of Korean food options. But here, people are really into food and they’re so supportive of small businesses,” Kim said. “Facebook foodie groups were sharing our posts too and that really helped.”
While the entrepreneurial journey has been rewarding, it's not without its challenges. One major obstacle has been navigating rising import costs due to international trade tensions.
“The tariff issues have been really difficult. Some of my South Korean vendors are increasing prices by 25% starting in July,” he said. “I’m doing what I can to reduce the price gap, but it’s stressful.”
Fortunately, Kim’s business education is helping him think through those challenges strategically.
“I gained a more analytical way of thinking—how to run a business sustainably, how to calculate profit margins, how to manage sourcing and pricing,” he said. “Those skills have been really helpful.”
Looking back, Kim says UNM played a pivotal role in his journey.
“I had many opportunities to engage with professors there. It was easy to schedule meetings and pitch my ideas, and they were always supportive—especially Professor Robert DelCampo,” he said. “Being in business school was incredibly helpful. A lot of times, the knowledge you gain at universities isn’t directly applicable in the real world, but in this case, it was.”
From food festivals to viral videos to running a growing business, Hanmin Kim is building something special—one gimbap roll at a time.
Check out his website and follow his Instagram account.
