Julia Mellor, Founder and CEO of The Sool Company, is a well-known figure in the Australian community in Seoul as well as a Board Member and longstanding supporter of the Chamber. Filled with energy and passion for Korean culture and traditional alcohol – Julia dedicated close to 10 years to becoming an expert of ‘sool’ and runs several brewing classes to share her expertise with brewing enthusiasts around the world.

But how did Julia’s Korea journey begin? Read her interview with Asia Options below to learn more about her experiences teaching English, navigating visa/ language barriers, and becoming a successful business-owner in Korea.

Teaching English abroad post-graduation

Having graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts in 2006, Julia didn’t have a fixed plan of where to take her Journalism and International Relations knowhow. Like many young Australians in search of inspiration, she decided that spending time abroad teaching English would be a great way to explore a new country while figuring out where to take her professional career.

While China and Japan were two of the more popular teaching destinations among her peers, Julia was drawn to follow a path less travelled – and, with the assistance of one of her university colleagues, she secured a teaching position at YES Youngdo in Seoul.

As is often the case with those that venture abroad on a journey of self-discovery, Julia’s one year in Korea quickly turned into two, then two became four and so it went, with 2020 marking her 14th year here. Yet while teaching English was her entry-point into building a life and career in Korea, Julia quickly realised that without a formal background in Education it would be difficult to progress professionally within the ‘hagwon’ system. This brings us to Julia’s encounter with a hobby that would lead her to spend over a decade in Korea and make her an expert in Korean traditional alcohol.

The first sool chapter – Makgeolli Mamas and Papas Korea(MMPK)

While the dynamic and fast-paced lifestyle of Seoul was one of the reasons Julia chose to stay in Korea beyond that single adventurous “year abroad”, it quickly became apparent that it was also a city with a quick changeover of people. So in part of her efforts to build a close-knit community, Julia joined her Canadian friend, Monica Barkley, to launch ‘Makgeolli Mamas and Pajeon Papas Korea’ (later dropping ‘Pajeon’ to simplify the name to MMPK).

Between 2012 – 2017, MMPK was a dedicated social community that gathered once per month to enjoy makgeolli and dinner at one of Seoul’s numerous dedicated makgeolli bars. These gatherings focused on a discussion of makgeolli brewing and flavour spectrum, which Julia found herself increasingly leading as an expert on the topic.

From community to a career

While MMPK initially started as a social community, it soon became clear to Julia that she was genuinely passionate about the subject and was constantly looking for opportunities to develop her understanding of traditional Korean alcohol. Through MMPK, Julia got to meet Professor Hyojin Jo of Susubori Academy, who would become one of the key mentor figures to guide her to becoming an expert of ‘sool’.

As Julia regularly attended more and more brewing workshops and visited numerous traditional breweries around Korea, it became clear that picking up Korean language skills was an essential step to deepen her expertise on the subject, particularly since there were limited resources available in English. She formalized her brewing education by attending four of the most renowned institutes for Korean alcohol education, courses she would not be able to undertake without Korean language skills.

Of course, for Julia, learning Korean wasn’t simply a pathway to becoming a sool expert – she was determined to have her own business, and for that, mastery of the local language was paramount. “I knew every step of the way that I couldn’t run a business if I didn’t speak Korean”, she emphasised.

With a clear goal of securing an independent visa to run her own business, rather than being tied to a particular employer that ‘sponsored’ your working visa, Julia juggled her teaching job, MMPK and study commitments to build up the skills and knowhow to advance her career in Korea.

A few years down the line, with solid fluency of Korean and an approved F-2-7 long term resident visa status, it was time to transition MMPK from a community to a business.

While the initial shift may have been a little strenuous, The Sool Company has become a well-known entity within the community, winning support from locals, expats and tourists alike. During the unique pandemic challenges of 2020, Julia launched an online makgeolli course and a community for brewers (Makgeolli Brewers Hub), to boost online engagement and connect sool enthusiasts around the world. She also has expanded her consultancy for start-up makgeolli breweries around the world, with clients in Australia, Europe, and The United States.

Today, Julia is well established as an expert in traditional Korean alcohol – successfully running a number of businesses and frequently presenting workshops in English and Korean alike. She is a graduate of the Korean Integration Program and has passed Level 5 of standardised Korean language proficiency, and is a proud F-2-7 visa holder (although recent revisions to the application/ renewal process have added complexity to maintaining visas in this category). She has also served a two-year term on AustCham Korea’s Board of Directors and is re-applying to renew her term in 2021.

The full article released by Asia Options can be found here