Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is kimchi?

A. Kimchi is the name for Korean fermented vegetables, and the most popular variety is spicy chopped cabbage kimchi. But kimchi is so much more than fermented vegetables. Kimchi is one of the most important traditional Korean foods, and the basis for entire cookbooks. It is the subject of proverbs* and the favorite food consumed to excess in Korean eating contests. Kimchi is the stuff of legend and is Granny Choe's raison d'etre.
* "A man can live without a wife but not without kimchi."
 


Q. What do I eat with kimchi?
A. Anything and everything. We Korean folk traditionally have kimchi as a side dish with each meal. Think of it as a zesty alternative to pickles, salsa or sauerkraut--so it's great on burgers, sausages, sandwiches, etc. Granny Choe recommends yogurt topped with kimchi as a tasty snack (but the rest of us are dubious). If you haven't had kimchi before, you might want to try it with something that will mellow out the spiciness a bit (lMac n' Cheese is heavenly with kimchi, or one of our kimchi recipes). Like many fine foods, you have to develop a taste for kimchi before you can fully appreciate it. 
 

Q. Why is Granny Choe's kimchi so super?

A.  Customers frequently tell us that Granny Choe's is the best kimchi they've ever had. It's because we make our kimchi by hand with a traditional recipe using only fresh, natural ingredients. Our kimchi is also free of additives like the MSG, artificial preservatives, and high-sodium fish pastes that are commonly found in other brands of kimchi. It also helps that Granny Choe is a genuine Korean grandma who grew up in the old country making kimchi the old fashioned way (in clay vessels buried in the ground). So she doesn't just know kimchi. She knows kimchi. 
 

Q. Where can I buy kimchi?

A. If you don't have an Asian grocery store near you, you can sometimes find kimchi in the refrigerated ethnic foods section at a regular grocery store. But the best kimchi that money can buy (Fresh! Handmade! All-natural! Award-winning!) is available right here at Granny Choe's online kimchi shop. To all you lucky ducks in California, you can save on shipping (and often get a lower price) by visiting one of the select natural grocery stores that carries Granny Choe's kimchi.

Q. How is Granny Choe's kimchi packed to arrive fresh?

A. We are unique in that we make our kimchi fresh and then let it ferment while it is in transit to you. We've devised an uber-clever system of packing our boxes with an ice pack (that you can reuse) and insulating/cushioning foam to accomplish this. But if your order arrives a little warm, don't fret. The intent of the ice packs isn't to keep the shipment really cold, it's just to keep the product from getting excessively hot while it ferments. Pressure/leaking are often an inevitable result of this natural fermentation process that makes kimchi so delicious, so we also bag each kimchi jar individually to catch any rogue kimchi juice. Granny Choe recommends opening the jars over the sink with a paper towel over them to prevent a mess. 

Q. How much does shipping and handling cost? 

A. We ship from Granny Choe's kimchi headquarters in Southern California via USPS Priority Mail, and shipments arrive 3-7 days from your order date. Shipping prices to anywhere in the United States are as follows:

1 jar: $9.75
2-6 jars: $10.20
7-9 jars: $13.95
10-12 jars: $20.40

Q. Does Granny Choe's ship internationally?
A. Due to the perishable nature of our product, we ship primarily within the United States. We do ship orders to Canada, but be warned- the shipping cost is a whopping $49 USD. If you would like to place an international order (including military addresses) and you are willing to pay a somewhat exorbitant shipping fee (over $50 USD), please email us to see if we can place a special order for you.

Q. Why don't you sell your kimchi in bigger jars?

A.  Because our product is heavy and perishable, the only way that we can get our kimchi to you at a reasonable cost is by using USPS Priority Mail flat rate boxes-- we designed our product to fit inside these boxes and can't make the jars any bigger. And because you've been smart enough to read all the way to the end of the FAQs, we'll give you a tip: You'll get the most bang for your shipping dollar if you order 6 or 9 jars at a time because that's the maximum number of our kimchi jars that can fit in the flat rate boxes. For example, if you order 2 jars of kimchi, you end up paying $5.10 shipping per jar. But if you buy 9 jars, you only pay $1.55 shipping per jar.