Craft Beer Specialty Restaurant Gyochon... Gangwon-do Goseong Factory Operation Begins

Kyochon F&B held the opening ceremony of the craft beer factory 'Moon Bear Brewing' located in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do on the 19th. At the event, attendees including So Jin-se, Chairman of Kyochon F&B (third from the left), and Yeo Chang-woo, Chairman of the Kyochon Chicken Franchise Communication Committee (second from the right), are pouring tasting beer. Photo by Kyochon F&B

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Kyochon F&B has embarked on fostering the craft beer business as a new growth engine. On the 19th, Kyochon F&B opened the craft beer factory 'Moon Bear Brewing' in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do.

Moon Bear Brewing, consisting of seven buildings including a brewery (main building) and a refrigerated warehouse on a site of approximately 3,300 pyeong, can produce 2 million liters of craft beer annually.

Kyochon F&B plans to target the rapidly growing domestic craft beer market using the infrastructure of over 1,300 Kyochon Chicken franchise stores nationwide. According to the Korea Craft Beer Association, the domestic craft beer market was worth 118 billion KRW last year, growing more than fivefold from 22 billion KRW in 2015. It is expected to grow to 370 billion KRW in 2023.

The beers produced at this factory are two types: 'Geumgangsan Golden Ale' and 'Baekdusan IPA.' Kyochon plans to develop other beer products in the future to expand its unique craft beer lineup. Distribution channels will also gradually expand to include liquor restaurants, convenience stores, and more.

A Kyochon representative said, "With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, chicken delivery has steadily increased, and there are high expectations for sales of chimaek (chicken + beer)." He added, "We plan to develop the craft beer factory into a tourist attraction through factory tour programs and operating a tap house."