Kazakhstan to Build Its First Food Cluster on the South Korean Model
Shin-Line Group, Central Asia's largest ice cream maker, signed a memorandum in Seoul with the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency. The Korean side will provide consulting and expert support on cluster management.
Kazakhstan's Shin-Line Group plans to establish a food industry cluster in the country, modelled on South Korea's Foodpolis.
According to The Korea Herald, the memorandum with the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency was signed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul by the agency's chairperson Kim Deok-ho and Shin-Line Group chairman Andrei Shin.
What the agreement covers
The two sides will cooperate on:
- consulting and advisory services for the planned cluster in Kazakhstan
- expert support on the cluster's management and development strategy
- support programmes for food companies
- promoting business exchanges between South Korean and Kazakh firms
- facilitating market entry and sharing information on government assistance
It is important for us to create not just a standalone site, but an entire ecosystem where producers can access technology and expertise, develop processing, and enter new markets.
— Andrey Shin, President of Shin-Line Group (The Times of Central Asia, 17.09.2026)
This agreement provides an opportunity to expand food industry cooperation with Kazakhstan by drawing on our experience operating the National Food Cluster.
— Kim Deok-ho, Chairperson of the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency (The Korea Herald, September 2026)
What Foodpolis is
The Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency operates the National Food Cluster in the city of Iksan, North Jeolla Province. The model is known as Foodpolis.
The cluster model brings production sites, research and testing infrastructure and export support together in one location. Shin-Line intends to adapt that system to the Kazakh market.
No official information has been released on the cluster's location, investment volume, capacity or the number of jobs.
Who Shin-Line is
Shin-Line Group is considered Central Asia's largest ice cream producer. In 2025 the company produced 37,000 tonnes.
That year it exported roughly 14,200 tonnes of ice cream, generating more than $49 million in revenue — about 95% of Kazakhstan's ice cream exports.
Its products go to 10 countries: Central Asian states, China, Mongolia and the Caucasus.
The company runs about 70 CU convenience stores in Kazakhstan. It has also formed a joint venture with Japan's Shigemitsu Industry to open the Ajisen Ramen chain, with 50 restaurants planned for 2027–2031.
By the numbers
- Production 2025: 37,000 tonnes
- Ice cream exports 2025: about 14,200 tonnes
- Export revenue: more than $49 million
- Share of Kazakhstan's ice cream exports: about 95%
- Export destinations: 10 countries
- CU convenience stores: about 70
- Ajisen Ramen plan: 50 restaurants in 2027–2031
- Korean partner: Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency (Iksan, North Jeolla)
Regional context
The agreement comes during a period of intensifying economic ties between South Korea and Central Asia. The first Central Asia – Republic of Korea summit was held in Seoul in September.
For Kazakhstan, food-industry cooperation belongs to a wider set of projects aimed at processing agricultural raw materials domestically.