CU, 'Gompyo Wheat Beer' Sells 300,000 Units in One Week

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] CU partnered with Daehan Flour Mills last month to exclusively launch GomPyo Wheat Beer, which sold out its initial production of 100,000 units in just three days. This is CU's best performance in three years since it first introduced craft beer to the industry in 2018.

On the 9th, CU announced that GomPyo Wheat Beer surpassed cumulative sales of 300,000 units within a week. It not only ranks first in the craft beer category but also entered the top 10 in overall domestic beer sales, standing shoulder to shoulder with products from major manufacturers.

A CU representative explained, "Since this product is made in collaboration with a small brewery, large-scale production is difficult, so sales are currently limited by order restrictions. Especially for beer, consumer preferences are strong, making it hard for new products to enter the market. Achieving this during the summer peak season, when major manufacturers dominate with new products and promotions, makes this accomplishment even more meaningful."

The secret behind the small brewery’s beer hitting the jackpot without special advertising is ‘Pyogom.’ The beer cans feature Daehan Flour Mills’ polar bear mascot ‘Pyogom’ and the retro-style font and package design unique to GomPyo flour, instantly capturing customers’ attention.

Conceptualized as a beer made with domestic wheat to match Daehan Flour Mills, Korea’s leading wheat flour manufacturer, and enhanced with fruity flavors, the beer’s clean taste has received favorable reviews. Notably, unlike typical craft beers favored by the 20s and 30s age group, GomPyo Wheat Beer has received a warm response from the 40s and 50s age group.

According to CU, 81.7% of craft beer sales last year came from customers in their 20s and 30s, while only 5.6% came from customers in their 40s. In contrast, the proportion of customers in their 40s for GomPyo Wheat Beer jumped to 14.3%. As GomPyo Wheat Beer gained popularity, sales of GomPyo Popcorn also surged by 40.7% compared to the previous week. GomPyo Popcorn was CU’s first collaborative product with Daehan Flour Mills launched a year ago.

Riding this wave of popularity, CU released the third collaboration product under the GomPyo brand, ‘GomPyo Nacho Original,’ on the 7th of this month. The nachos are a large-sized product about 2.3 times bigger than similar existing snacks and are packaged in a sealed zipper bag to prevent sogginess during long-term storage. Additionally, they are designed in an original flavor without added seasonings to be versatile for various dishes such as nacho pizza and nacho canap?.

Lee Seung-taek, MD of the Beverage and Food Team at BGF Retail, said, “Generally, collaboration products target young people in their teens and twenties who value fun, but GomPyo Wheat Beer has gained empathy and a positive response from middle-aged and older customers. Going forward, CU plans to strengthen differentiated products across various categories that can appeal to all generations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.