Gokseong-gun Opens Kakao Experience Center Following Landmark Train and Rose Attractions

Opening of Rose Kakao Experience Center in Gichamaeul, Offering Special Memories Like Chocolate Making

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 5th that it has opened the Rose Cacao Experience Center within the Seomjingang Train Village.

Gokseong-gun has been hosting the World Rose Festival in the Train Village for the past 10 years. Although this year's festival was canceled due to COVID-19, during the festival period every May, the crowd reaches up to 300,000 people, leaving hardly any space to move.

Considering that Gokseong-gun's population is about 28,000, this number exceeds ten times the local population. It is no joke that during the festival period, the KTX train stopping at Gokseong Station and heading to Yeosu Station barely moves past its departure time due to the large number of disembarking passengers.

Although Gokseong-gun has greatly benefited from the roses, it did not stop there and aimed to take a step further. They contemplated creating content that fits the rose concept and can be used year-round to offer visitors a special memory. As a result, they derived the theme of ‘romantic’ and established the Rose Cacao Experience Center.

Unlike other museums that focus on knowledge and information exhibitions, the Rose Cacao Experience Center allows visitors to experience cacao with all five senses. Utilizing the fact that chocolate can express different forms and tastes depending on temperature and additives, visitors can make various types of chocolate.

Next to the experience center is the Rose Cacao Glass Greenhouse where cacao trees are growing. Visitors can vividly learn how cacao trees grow, bear fruit, and become the raw material for chocolate.

Gokseong-gun sees great potential in the Rose Cacao Experience Center based on the rapidly growing domestic chocolate-related market.

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is a word derived from Greek, meaning ‘Food of the Gods.’ The global market size for chocolate made from cacao reaches 170 trillion won. The domestic market size is 668.7 billion won, showing a high average growth rate of 8.9%.

A county official stated, “We plan to accelerate efforts to make the Train Village a year-round tourist destination by linking the Rose Cacao Experience Center with other local experience products.”

Meanwhile, the Rose Cacao Experience Center has been officially operating since the 25th of last month. To participate in the chocolate-making experience, visitors must make a reservation in advance by searching online for the Korea Chocolate Research Institute Museum Gokseong Branch.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.