From five dairy cows to annual sales of 7 billion won: the turnaround story of a ranch in Jeju Province

【JEJU PROVINCE—Lee Ju-mi, Staff Writer】“Everything began with the belief that the cows had to be happy. A small ranch that started with five dairy cows in 1975 has now grown into a company exporting dairy products to 11 countries around the world.”
Lee Seong-cheol, who spoke with us at Achim Miso Ranch in Jeju Province on the 21st, explained that this was the key to the ranch’s growth. The ranch, which Lee’s father started with five dairy cows in 1975, is now in its third generation as a family business. Lee’s son also returned to farming after working as a police officer and joined the business.
Achim Miso Ranch is a leading rural convergence industry company in Jeju Province, with annual sales of 7 billion won. It raises dairy cows and uses the raw milk they produce to make yogurt and cheese, while also opening the ranch to visitors free of charge and developing it as a tourist destination. This is the “sixth industry,” combining primary-sector milk production, secondary-sector manufacturing, and tertiary-sector tourism and sales. The ranch also entered overseas markets, beginning exports in 2019, and now supplies products to 11 countries, including Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. Its export revenue grew from $5,200 in its first year to as much as $215,000 a year.
Today, it is a major tourist attraction visited by 350,000 people a year and an exporting company, but it has not been without crises. After losses piled up for four to five years during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) foreign exchange crisis, the ranch was on the verge of closing. The owners eventually put the ranch up for sale, but it did not sell, so they sought to survive by changing the business structure. They opened the ranch to visitors free of charge and pivoted to offering experiences such as feeding dairy cows and exploring nature. The ranch’s turnaround began as it made a full shift into dairy processing.
Starting in 2007, the couple began developing their own products, including yogurt and cheese. They obtained dairy-processing qualifications themselves and laid the groundwork for product development and production. It took five years just to perfect a single yogurt, their flagship product.
The first turning point came in 2011, when the ranch began doing business with SPC Group. Before signing a contract, SPC Group provided about nine months of hygiene training, which prompted the ranch to strengthen its production and hygiene management systems. The ranch later expanded its sales channels to Hyundai Department Store and Emart, among others, and built a smart factory. Its product range also grew from yogurt and cheese to include Greek yogurt, kaymak and snacks.
Lee explained, “After we signed a contract with SPC, our monthly sales rose from the 3-million-won range to the 100-million-won range,” adding, “At a time when we knew nothing about hygiene management or quality standards, we learned step by step and established production standards.”
Lee particularly points to “free-range grazing” as the secret to the ranch’s quality. Achim Miso Ranch raises 90 to 100 dairy cows, including calves, on about 264,000 square meters (80,000 pyeong) of pasture. It is the only ranch in the country to use a free-range system. Rather than expanding the herd aggressively to boost productivity, the ranch keeps only as many animals as it can feed with hay it grows itself.
Lee emphasized, “Milk from cows that eat good grass and move around freely tastes different,” adding, “Cows raised on grass produce less milk than cows given a lot of feed, but their milk differs in taste and nutritional value.”
Achim Miso Ranch’s next goal is not just to grow its brand, but also to take responsibility for the future of the employees who have grown with the business. Lee plans to build a franchise so that employees who have worked at the ranch for a long time can continue working with stability after retirement.
Lee emphasized, “Our ultimate goal is to help employees who have worked with us for a long time continue working even after they retire,” adding, “We will prepare for each morning with our sights set not on next year, but a hundred years from now.”
[email protected] Lee Ju-mi Reporter