[Gu Eunmo's Sujeori] Jo Jaegu, CEO of Daegang Brewery, "Proud to continue a century-old family business... Will also contribute to the 6th industrialization of traditional liquor"

<5> Chungbuk Danyang 'Daegang Brewery'②

Selected as the 1st 'Visiting Brewery' by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in 2013
Operates a museum showcasing brewery history including old brewing tools
Experience programs such as brewing... Resuming this month with efforts to attract overseas tourists

Joaegoo Daegang Brewery CEO

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] “Daegang Brewery is a century-old liquor brewery with history and culture. Our goal is to continue preserving the traditions we have upheld so far.”

Jae-gu Jo, CEO of Daegang Brewery, expressed pride in carrying on a family business that has lasted over a hundred years during an interview with Asia Economy on the 5th. He said he wants to not only maintain and pass down the brewery and its unique taste inherited from his family but also contribute to the sixth industrialization of traditional Korean liquors.

Daegang Brewery was the first brewery designated in 2013 under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation’s “Visiting Breweries” project. This project comprehensively supports breweries in improving their environment, quality control, experience programs, and promotion to develop them into regional attractions combined with experiential tourism. Breweries recommended by local governments are selected based on evaluations of their historical significance, connection with the local community, tourism elements, and the determination of the management. Since 2013, four new breweries have been selected annually, totaling 50 breweries to date.

CEO Jo explained, “Many breweries applied for the project at the time, but only two met the requirements and standards: our brewery and Sinpyeong Brewery in Dangjin, Chungnam. I believe the symbolic value of being the first ‘Visiting Brewery’ was largely due to our brewery’s long history spanning four generations and 100 years.”

After being selected as a Visiting Brewery, CEO Jo visited Japanese sake breweries with the project staff and made a firm decision. He said, “We toured about ten old breweries in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and other cities. Among them, the most impressive was the famous sake brand ‘Gekkeikan’ brewery in Kyoto, which operates its own museum. I wondered why there are no such museums in Korean breweries, and eventually decided to create one myself.”

Upon returning to Korea, he immediately put his plan into action and created a small museum showcasing the brewery’s history. The museum is filled with old items that tell the story not only of Daegang Brewery but also of the history of Korean Makgeolli over the past century, including a safe made in the 1920s with bullet marks from the Korean War, desks and microscopes from the 1930s, an anti-illegal liquor promotional video from the 1970s, glass bottles for Makgeolli from the 1980s, and Makgeolli promotional posters.

Many items that showcase the history of the brewery, including old brewing tools, are exhibited in the museum inside Daegang Brewery.

Although the idea started with him, it would not have been possible without his father, the third-generation master Jo Guk-hwan. CEO Jo introduced his father as “someone who disliked throwing things away and kept everything in the warehouse.” He recalled, “I used to wonder why he kept all those things without throwing anything away, but thanks to that, we were able to create a museum that effectively showcases the brewery’s history. Looking back now, it was an amazing foresight.”

Along with the museum, they developed a Makgeolli experience program where visitors can try making liquor using rice, water, and nuruk (fermentation starter), and pressing liquor with traditional tools. Although the program was practically suspended for the past two years due to COVID-19, tourists have recently started visiting again. CEO Jo emphasized, “Foreign tourists especially responded well because they could brew and taste traditional liquors firsthand. Since the beginning of this month, group tourists from Poland and Canada have visited for the first time since COVID, and we plan to revitalize the program.”

Recently, they have also embarked on new ventures. In April, they partnered with the beauty startup ‘Cosmechef’ to launch a cleansing solid pack called ‘Baekdanggo.’ CEO Jo explained, “When filtering liquor for more than 10 minutes, you can feel your hands becoming softer. This inspired us to start this project.” He added, “We process and use the lees, which are the residue left after brewing, as ingredients for the product instead of discarding them. This diversifies the use of lees, which were previously used mainly as fertilizer, and is positive from the brewery’s perspective.”

Baekdanggo uses natural bedrock water sourced from 400 meters underground in Sobaeksan, nuruk as core ingredients, and includes concentrated Makgeolli lees and Makgeolli extract from Daegang Brewery. He said, “If there are good opportunities for collaboration with other industries in the future, we are always willing to try.”