The city of Busan has officially begun work on developing a signature “Busan-style coffee beverage” as part of its goal to establish itself as a global coffee hub.

On August 11, the city signed a business agreement at City Hall with three World Coffee Champions, the Busan-Gyeongnam Milk Cooperative, BGF Retail Co., Ltd., and GS Retail Co., Ltd. to develop and brand a ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee product unique to Busan.

Attendees included Busan Mayor Park, 2019 World Barista Champion Jeon Joo-yeon, 2021 World Cup Tasters Champion Choo Kyung-ha, 2022 World Cup Tasters Champion Moon Heon-gwan, Busan-Gyeongnam Milk Cooperative President Kang Rae-soo, BGF Retail CEO Min Seung-bae, and GS Retail Vice President Jeong Chun-ho.

Under the agreement, Busan will provide policy and administrative support, while the World Coffee Champions will oversee recipe creation, quality consulting, brand direction, and promotion.

The Busan-Gyeongnam Milk Cooperative will handle manufacturing, distribution, and sales, and the two retail companies will leverage their nationwide networks to boost product availability.

The first version of the Busan-style coffee will be introduced at a public tasting during the “Busan is Coffee Day” event on September 20–21 at Domoheon in Suyeong-gu.

The final recipe will be refined based on citizen feedback, and the beverage’s name will also be chosen through public participation, with plans to launch the product within the year.

Fleet Chinhae

USAG Daegu