Alumni Alum’s Brand Melds Natural Wellness and Premium Coffee Stories You May Like With Our Custom Pumpkin Stencils, ‘Red’ Is the New Orange! Campus Celebrates Naming of Engineering College What’s the Most Iconic Cornell Tradition? Vote in the Final! After a family tragedy spurred him to mine the health benefits of mushrooms, Jinhu Park ’09 founded Korea-based Imunika By Beth Saulnier OK, let’s get something straight from the jump: the coffee that Jinhu Park ’09 makes and sells does not taste like mushrooms. Yes, it has mushrooms in it—seven different varieties, in fact—but they’re essentially indistinguishable in the beverage itself, which has the velvety, smooth-but-complex flavor of a high-end cup of java. The Human Ecology alum is the founder and CEO of Imunika, a brand based in his native South Korea that’s at the intersection of two markets with passionate followings: natural wellness and premium coffee. It also taps aspects of Park’s cultural heritage, in which those fungi—such as the reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), nicknamed the “mushroom of immortality”—have long been prized for their health properties. “Not just in Korea, but across Asia, mushrooms are renowned for their power and potency,” he says. “They were revered by kings and queens, and people would travel across mountains to collect them—almost like an elixir for them to live forever.” Not just in Korea, but across Asia, mushrooms are renowned for their power and potency. Through a proprietary method involving fermentation—an essential aspect of the Korean diet—Imunika processes the mushrooms to produce what Park describes as an especially potent version of the fungi’s medicinally beneficial compound. Called beta-glucan, it has been credited with a host of benefits including immune support, improved gut and heart health, and stress relief. Park performing at the Nines in Collegetown with his undergrad band, the Burrows. The compound has also been studied for its potential ability to fight cancer—properties that, due to a family tragedy, drew Park to focus on it in the first place. A policy analysis and management major on the Hill, Park is the eldest of three brothers, all of whom came to the U.S. for high school and college. Through a proprietary method involving fermentation, Imunika processes the mushrooms to produce what Park describes as an especially potent version of the fungi’s medicinally beneficial compound. Shortly after his middle brother graduated from law school, the young man was diagnosed with an aggressive, terminal cancer and given less than a year to live. With conventional therapies offering no hope, the family aimed to find a treatment in traditional Korean medicine. The brothers and their mother—a fermentation master who’d learned the art from her grandmother—developed a process to extract a potent form of beta-glucan using seven types of mushrooms. Imunika products contain (from left) shiitake, sparassis, chaga, cordyceps, linteus, reishi, and lion’s mane mushrooms. “We came together to make this very strong mushroom beta-glucan complex,” Park says. “But by the time we made something, my brother couldn’t take any food, and he passed away.” Seeking a way to help people integrate the compound into their diet—and access its various health benefits—without having to take supplements, Park landed on something that many of us consume every day: coffee. Stories You May Like With Our Custom Pumpkin Stencils, ‘Red’ Is the New Orange! Campus Celebrates Naming of Engineering College Working on production with his mom, who passed away in January 2026. For Park, it was an unlikely choice—given that he’d never been a fan of the stuff. “I didn’t drink coffee—and I still don’t drink any other coffee,” Park admits. “I once asked a friend jokingly, ‘Hey, life is already bitter. Why do you pay for something that’s bitter and drink it?’ But jokes aside, coffee for me is a bit too strong, and I feel jittery when I drink it. I’m very sensitive to caffeine.” I didn’t drink coffee—and I still don’t drink any other coffee. I once asked a friend jokingly, ‘Hey, life is already bitter. Why do you pay for something that’s bitter and drink it?’ While there were other mushroom coffees on the market, Park explains, they primarily comprised powdered extracts mixed with ground beans. His concept was to focus on the premium market, using fermentation to combine his family’s potent version of beta-glucan (which they dubbed MBGC-7) with the whole beans that are essential to coffee aficionados. Imunika's production process involves fermenting both mushrooms and coffee beans. Founded in 2022, Imunika now offers two medium roasts—light and dark, each priced at $45 for eight ounces—using beans from Papua New Guinea. (A decaf version, using the Swiss water method and beans from Ethiopia, is in the works.) Founded in 2022, Imunika now offers two medium roasts—light and dark, each priced at $45 for eight ounces—using beans from Papua New Guinea. In July 2026, Imunika received several honors in the Asia division of the Global Coffee Awards, including being named the overall winner for South Korea. It also won a gold medal as the top experimental single-origin espresso, lauded as “truly distinctive and beautifully crafted.” “This cup delivered a wonderfully juicy and savoury character, with notes of fresh peach, brown sugar, anise, fennel, apricot jam, and milk chocolate,” the judges observed, “finished by a delicate salted butter note.” In terms of flavor, Park compares Imunika’s offerings to Kopi Luwak, a famed Indonesian variety that can cost upwards of $600 a pound. The brand—which also offers single-serving bags—recommends the pour-over method for its coffees. Known as the world’s most expensive coffee, it uses beans that have passed through the digestive systems of civet cats—a process that Park says is chemically akin to Imunika’s fermentation, making both “very smooth and well-rounded, with an almost silky flavor.” Imunika was named the top experimental single-origin espresso in the Asia division of the Global Coffee Awards, lauded as “truly distinctive and beautifully crafted.” In addition to selling on its website, Imunika is carried by Bean Box, a high-end coffee retailer and subscription service co-founded by Matthew Berk ’92, BA ’93. Park at APEC with a fellow alum: Ryosei Akazawa, MBA ’91, Japan's minister of economy, trade, and industry. The brand is also available at Korean Airlines' in-flight store and other duty-free shops. Last November, Imunika was the official coffee at the 2025 edition of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, held in South Korea for the first time in two decades. The company got some global exposure when a social media video of Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi enjoying a cup at APEC went viral, garnering some 4 million views, 60,000 shares, and 15,000 comments within two days. “It’s said to be a famous brand from Korea,” Motegi observes in the video. “It’s quite good.” (All images provided.) Published July 28, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Quizzes & Puzzles Cornellian Crossword: ‘Spirit of Zinck’s’ Campus & Beyond ILR’s Worker Institute Helps Guide a Newly Energized Labor Movement Quizzes & Puzzles Two Truths and a Lie: Alumni Authors Edition