[Gu Eun-mo's Sujeori] Kim Jong-han, CEO of Durumi Brewery, "Creating Demand with Diverse Stories"

"Consumers consider not only the taste of whiskey but also the heritage of the distillery when choosing whiskey. I believe that for our alcohol to continuously be chosen by consumers and maintain competitiveness, the brewery must have its own unique stories."

Kim Jong-han, CEO of Durumi Brewery

원본보기 아이콘

Kim Jonghan, CEO of Durumi Brewery, emphasized in an interview with Asia Economy on the 22nd that as the traditional liquor industry has repeatedly experienced quantitative growth and rapidly elevated the overall quality of products, it is now a crucial time to focus not only on technological competition but also on ways for consumers to continuously seek out and enjoy traditional liquor.

CEO Kim predicted that sustainable demand creation will be possible when each brewery’s unique content is solidly accumulated over a long period. Durumi Brewery is also striving to create various stories, with a representative example being the ‘Woorisul Creators.’ At Durumi Brewery, brewers affiliated with the company are called Woorisul Creators, meaning creators of the worldview and stories contained within the liquor.

By using the title Woorisul Creator instead of the technical and professional term brewer, they aim to emphasize the creative and artistic aspect of producing alcohol as a work of creation, thereby generating new stories. CEO Kim explained, "We varied the title so that Durumi Brewery can tell the stories it wants in a way that differentiates us from others."

Durumi Brewery 'Nongdam'

원본보기 아이콘

However, it is not just about calling them by a different name. CEO Kim guarantees ‘creative freedom’ to the Woorisul Creators. He said, "Since brewing is a creative task, I believe better results come when autonomy is granted. We only have basic brewing principle guidelines, such as never using chemical sweeteners, and we do not intervene in manufacturing methods at all."

In fact, CEO Kim believes that the more autonomy is guaranteed, the more responsibility the creators take in brewing. He said, "Personally, even when the quality is excellent enough to be released immediately, the creators keep striving to improve the product’s completeness." He added, "It is my role to provide an environment where creators can work enthusiastically and where the results can return to them."

Finally, he said, "Going forward, to well express the brewery’s slogan ‘Let’s meet! Let’s enjoy!’, we will create diverse stories including products within the amusement park worldview connecting ‘Daegwanramsa’ and ‘Hantangang Express,’ as well as various collaborative products," and urged, "I hope many people will listen attentively to Durumi Brewery’s stories."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.