A Festival with the Community: Highlights from the 2nd Incheon Social Economy Fair

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The 2nd Incheon Social Economy Fair(Photo by Milly) 

 

A Celebration of Social Economy in Incheon

 

From September 27 to 28, the 2nd Incheon Social Economy Fair was held at the Incheon SangSang Platform.

The fair featured a wide variety of programs, including an opening ceremony, insight competition, awards for outstanding social value enterprises, talk concerts, and case presentations from businesses that had benefited from support programs. Visitors also enjoyed the lively Social Plus Market, where they could purchase products from social economy enterprises.

 

The venue was bustling with 31 sales booths, 18 experience zones, and 10 promotional booths, along with one-day classes and consultation spaces. With so many hands-on programs, the fair was full of energy and participation.

 

Opening ceremony of the 2nd Incheon Social Economy Expo(Photo by Milly) 

A Special Encounter: Cafe Grandma

 

Among the many booths, I stopped by Cafe Grandma (㈜Cafe Oehalmeoni), a village enterprise, and ended up buying whole-bean coffee.

Honestly, I hadn’t planned to buy more coffee since I had already ordered beans from a café run by people with developmental disabilities. But when they kindly offered me a tasting, the rich aroma and flavor completely won me over—I just couldn’t resist!

 

Cafe Grandma is a small café where elderly baristas brew coffee themselves. It creates meaningful senior jobs in a rapidly aging society while also serving as a warm, communal gathering place. On top of that, the beans are sourced through fair trade from “Tripti,” a social enterprise, making every cup a blend of both local social value and global solidarity.

 

Distinguished guests performing a ceremony to celebrate the growth of Incheon’s social economy(Photo by Milly) 

Incheon’s Unique Social Economy Flavor

 

The fair also showcased products that reflected Incheon’s unique mix of coastal, rural, and urban life. Exploring these booths was both fun and insightful, showing how social economy enterprises are rooted in the local community.

 

I also realized that some of the products I use daily actually come from social enterprises. For instance, I discovered that the salt I’ve been using at home is sale by Health Daecheop (Disability Scholarship Project), a social enterprise based in Incheon. It was something I hadn’t noticed until this fair made me more aware.

 

Booths were decorated in a charming and inviting way, drawing many visitors to explore the products and learn about the enterprises(Photo by Milly) 



Bringing Social Economy Closer to Citizens

 

I also visited the first Incheon Social Economy Fair last year. Compared to then, this year’s event was even more charming, with more diverse programs. It was definitely the kind of festival families could enjoy together.

 

Events like this not only help promote local social economy enterprises but also raise public awareness of the broader social economy. Even when people already use these products in daily life, they often don’t realize the social values behind them. Fairs like this help bridge that gap.

 

Coffee beans I purchased from “Cafe Grandma”(Photo by Milly) 

Final Thoughts

 

The diversity and passion of Incheon’s social enterprises, cooperatives, village enterprises, self-sufficiency enterprises, and social ventures were truly impressive.

I hope to see more events like this in the future, where citizens can naturally connect with social economy initiatives and grow together with them.

 

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