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Experiences & Tourism
Makgeolli brewing classes, sool tasting experiences and one-of-a-kind tours for international visitors and locals alike.
Your resource for
Korean traditional alcohol
The global leaders in Korean traditional alcohol education, experiences and consulting. Join us for makgeolli brewing classes, sool tasting events and unforgettable memories.
Educate. Connect. Promote
The world's leading English-language resource for sool
The Sool Company is dedicated to preserving and promoting Korean traditional alcohol (sool) on the global stage. From our brewery and education space in Seoul to our European office in the Netherlands, we brew knowledge, taste tradition, share culture, and pair sool with global appreciation.
12+
Years in the industry
2
Locations — Korea & Netherlands
10k+
Guests welcomed
A decade of sool
- 2012
Makgeolli Mamas & Papas Korea (MMPK) founded — monthly brewing and tasting community.
- 2017
Rebranded as The Sool Company — first to adopt “sool” as the international term for Korean traditional alcohol.
- 2022
Seoul brewery and education center opens; The Sool Trader export agency launched.
- 2023
European operations established in Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 2024
First Korean alcohol export to Singapore
Meet the team
Julia Mellor
Founder & Sool Specialist
A leading voice for Korean traditional alcohol abroad. Graduate of Korea's foremost brewing institutes, with over a decade championing sool. Leads European operations from the Netherlands.
Bona Kim
Managing Partner
Born into Korea's living drinking culture, Bona brings deep local knowledge to every guest experience — guiding tastings, partnerships, and our work with Korean breweries.
Valentin Janiaut
Managing Partner
Leads operations and international development, building the bridges that bring Korean traditional alcohol to bars, importers and curious drinkers across Europe and beyond.
What we do
Four practices, one mission
From welcoming visitors at our Seoul brewery to helping clients open the first sool breweries in their region, our work covers the full life-cycle of Korean traditional alcohol.
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Commercial Brewing Consulting
The world's leading English-speaking consultants for international commercial makgeolli operations. Many of our clients went on to open the first sool brewery in their country.
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Export Agency
Through The Sool Trader, we help importers and distributors worldwide access high-quality Korean alcohol, with a curated network of brewery and distillery partners.
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International Events & Advocacy
We represent Korean breweries abroad — market research, brand development and audience building for the sool category.
Experiences in Seoul
Taste, brew and explore Korean traditional alcohol
From hands-on makgeolli brewing classes and expert-led sool tastings to a craft soju “soju-bomb” evening, an Insa-dong makgeolli tour and a full tasting-and-dining journey — we host you in our Seoul brewery & education center, or guide you across the city.
- Makgeolli brewing classes
- Sool discovery tastings
- Craft soju & soju-bomb evenings
- Insa-dong makgeolli tours
- Traditional alcohol dining experiences
Full experience details are in English. Prefer your language? Just contact us — we reply in yours.
Multi-day journeys · by Korea Cultured
Deep dives into Korea’s living fermentation culture
Korea Cultured is our sub-brand of small-group premium tours across Korea. Meet master makers, taste heritage sool, and slow down in places where craft and landscape shape each other.
Craft-firstPeople-centeredDeeply local
Andong · Jeolla · Gyeonggi · Chungbuk
Each journey includes
- ✓ Entrance fees
- ✓ Roundtrip shared transfer
- ✓ Transport by bus or minivan
- ✓ Artisan food and sool tastings
The Korea Cultured site is in English. You can also reach us directly in your language.
Export · The Sool Trader
Bringing Korean traditional alcohol to the world
The Sool Trader is our international export agency, making it easy for importers and distributors worldwide to access Korean sool. With an extensive network of brewery and distillery partners eager to export, and our office in the Netherlands acting as a centralised European source, we simplify access to high-quality Korean alcohol — from sourcing and supplier coordination to compliance and global logistics.
- Korean alcohol export & sourcing
- Premium soju & makgeolli distribution
- European import gateway (EU / UK)
- Market development & cultural advocacy
The Sool Trader site is in English. You can also reach us directly in your language.
Get in touch
Have a question? We'd love to hear from you
A visit, a private event, a consulting project, an export enquiry, or simply a curiosity about sool — drop us a line and we'll get back to you within one business day, in your language.
Where to find us
South Korea — HQ
229 Changgyeonggung-ro, 2F, Jongno-gu, Seoul
The Netherlands
Prins Hendrikkade 130 B01, Rotterdam