Mead Made from Sangju Agricultural Products Receives Positive Response at Seoul Liquor Expo

Three New Products Unveiled Using Shine Muscat Grapes, Apples, and Peaches

Sangju City in North Gyeongsang Province has confirmed the potential to pioneer new consumer markets by developing specialty alcoholic beverages using local agricultural products.

The Sangju Agricultural Technology Center announced that it participated in the '2026 Seoul International Liquor & Wine Expo,' held at COEX in Seoul from June 18 to June 20, where it operated a promotional booth for regional specialty liquors and unveiled three new mead products made with agricultural products from Sangju.

At this expo, Euncheok Distillery and Sangseon Brewery participated to introduce mead, an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey.

In particular, products made with Shine Muscat grapes, apples, and peaches—signature specialty crops of Sangju—were showcased, drawing significant attention from visitors and industry professionals.

Participating in the "2026 Seoul International Liquor & Wine Expo" to introduce Mead (Left) Sangseon Brewery (Right) Euncheok Distillery Photo provided by Sangju City

The promotional booth featured an experiential program that combined tastings with a preference vote.

Visitors were able to taste the products themselves and then select their preferred product, experiencing firsthand the unique flavors and distinctive qualities of Sangju's agricultural produce.

Exhibiting companies also held consultations with distributors and buyers throughout the event, exploring the potential to develop new sales channels.

On site, there was sustained interest in traditional liquors reflecting the region’s character, resulting in active product inquiries and consultations.

The new mead products are the result of two years of collaboration between the Sangju Agricultural Technology Center and local brewing companies.

This initiative is expected not only to enhance the added value of local agricultural products but also to serve as a new growth engine for the traditional liquor market.

A representative from one of the participating breweries said, "Interest in traditional liquors made with domestic ingredients and regional characteristics continues to grow," adding, "These new mead products also received a positive response, with active on-site sales and buyer consultations."

Seo Junghyun, Head of the Future Agriculture Division at the Sangju Agricultural Technology Center, stated, "This expo was a meaningful opportunity to showcase the competitiveness of processed products made with Sangju agricultural products," and added, "We will continue to actively support the development and commercialization of specialty liquors using local agricultural products to boost farm income and vitalize the regional economy."

Sangju is accelerating its strategy beyond simply producing agricultural products, focusing on processing and branding.

The development of mead using Shine Muscat grapes, apples, and peaches is a new example of creating added value for agricultural products, and attention is being paid to whether the Sangju brand can enhance its competitiveness in the specialty liquor market in the future.

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