Gamja Island Breathes New Life into Small and Medium Cities' Recovery through Handmade Gamja Craft Beer

When it comes to ‘Gangwon-do,’ the first specialty that comes to mind is ‘potatoes,’ and there are those who coexist with the region through this product. One such example is the local craft beer brewery ‘Gamja Island,’ which opened in 2019. Gamja Island developed the craft beer ‘Potato Pale Ale’ using potatoes, an idea that originated when the two co-CEOs (Kim Kyuhyun and Ahn Hongjun) were students at Kangwon National University and noticed discarded potatoes.

‘Potato Pale Ale’ is a West Coast-style pale ale beer made from 100% Gangwon-do potatoes. It features a sharp refreshing taste, citrus aroma, a slightly bitter flavor, and rich foam, making it a great match for greasy foods. Currently, it captivates the palates of local residents and tourists at pubs in Onui-dong and Udu-dong, Chuncheon, and is supplied to about 97 outlets nationwide, including Hyundai Department Store, Grand Hyatt Hotel, and Gangneung Jungang Market.

Started with the aim of adding value to discarded agricultural products and coexisting with the region, Gamja Island has now been recognized as a prominent local brand that revitalizes Gangwon-do. This is because they continuously develop unique beers using agricultural and marine products from Gangwon-do.

In addition to potato beer, Gamja Island has released ‘Danpat STOUT’ made with Gangwon-do red beans, ‘Tomatoro’ made from Yeongwol tomatoes, ‘Mallang Peach Ale’ containing Soyang River peaches, and ‘Dakgalbi Ale,’ which pairs well with Chuncheon’s famous dakgalbi. This year, they plan to start experiential content such as brewery tours and one-day classes.

Along with this, they share the concerns of small and medium-sized cities aiming to revitalize their regions through local brands. Recently, the two CEOs participated as speakers at the ‘Onyang Oncheon International Forum’ hosted by the Chungnam Social Innovation Center and the ‘Act Local Forum (ALF)’ by the Chuncheon Social Innovation Center, sharing their experiences on regional issues and local branding.

Co-CEOs Kim Kyuhyun and Ahn Hongjun stated, “As many small and medium-sized cities focus on local brands as a way to lead social innovation, we hope Gamja Island becomes a representative local brand of Gangwon-do and a role model.” They added, “After moving into the Chuncheon Social Innovation Center in the first half of this year, we plan to collaborate actively with various local institutions to address community issues more proactively.”