A promotional poster for Island192, a craft beer made with shiitake mushrooms grown by residents of Deokjeokdo island in Incheon [Incheon Tourism Organization]
A promotional poster for Island192, a craft beer made with shiitake mushrooms grown by residents of Deokjeokdo island in Incheon [Incheon Tourism Organization]

A craft beer brewed with shiitake mushrooms grown by residents of Deokjeokdo island in Incheon's Ongjin-gun has made its debut.

Incheon city, Ongjin-gun and the Incheon Tourism Organization ran a pop-up store at the National Assembly Communication Center from Tuesday to Wednesday, introducing the premium shiitake craft beer Island192.

Island192 was developed using "Seomsong-i shiitake mushrooms" cultivated by residents of Eureumsil Village on Deokjeokdo.

The product name is meant to highlight the regional value and potential of the 192 inhabited and uninhabited islands that make up Incheon.

The initiative stands out for going beyond simply selling local farm produce — transforming island-grown agricultural products into a new food item and tourism product. Shiitake mushrooms produced by local residents have been processed and reborn as both a regional brand and a tourism offering.

Eureumsil Village has been pursuing a shiitake production, processing and experiential program with direct resident participation through the Ministry of Interior and Safety's island region specialization project.

The village's resident-led system for producing, processing and commercializing local specialties earned recognition last year, winning the minister of interior and safety award — the top prize — at the Island Region Specialization Project Excellence Awards held in November.

The craft beer development marks a new effort to connect that resident-driven initiative to tourism and consumer markets. By reimagining the island's agricultural specialty — mushrooms — as a new product, the project has expanded into a local brand that carries Deokjeokdo's own story.

The Incheon Tourism Organization plans to use the launch of Island192 as a springboard to build a virtuous cycle in which Deokjeokdo's local specialties move beyond production into processing, commercialization and tourism.

To that end, the organization is also working to establish a multipurpose smart farm center that combines the mushroom production facility with hands-on experiences, education, a cafe and accommodation. The facility would serve as a hub linking local tourism and experiential activities, increasing visitor stays and boosting residents' incomes through local product sales.

Incheon city, Ongjin-gun and the tourism organization plan to use Island192 and other Deokjeokdo products to combine the island's unique resources with tourism content, building a sustainable island economy model in which residents take direct part in production and product development.

Attention is now turning to whether Deokjeokdo can complete its transformation — from an island that grows farm produce to one that turns local stories into products — as the shiitake mushrooms residents cultivated themselves have been reborn not just as processed food, but as craft beer.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com