Alcohol-Free Beer Competition Heats Up as Fitness Enthusiasts and Pregnant Women Enjoy Drinking...

Following Hite and Lotte, OB Also Launches Non-Alcoholic Beer

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] OB, the number one player in the domestic beer market, has officially entered the non-alcoholic beer market. This is due to the increasing demand for low-alcohol and non-alcoholic products as more consumers prefer lighter drinking occasions.

According to industry sources on the 18th, OB Beer has launched the non-alcoholic beer "Cass 0.0" (Cass Zero), which faithfully reproduces the taste and flavor of original beer.

Cass Zero is a non-alcoholic beer but is characterized by allowing consumers to enjoy the crisp and refreshing taste unique to beer. Unlike the conventional method of adding hops and aroma to malt extract without fermentation, Cass Zero uses the same raw materials as regular beer and undergoes the same fermentation and maturation process. Then, in the final filtration stage, alcohol is extracted using a "smart separation method," resulting in an alcohol content of less than 0.05%.

Cass Zero will be available in 355ml cans and is scheduled to be sold nationwide at large supermarkets and supermarkets starting from the 26th.

Earlier, HiteJinro Beverage was the first domestic company to launch a malt-flavored non-alcoholic beverage, "Hite Zero 0.00," in November 2012. At that time, non-alcoholic beverages were perceived as drinks for specific consumer groups, so the company focused on promoting various drinking situations for non-alcoholic beverages to expand their market base. As a result, it attracted consumers who do not drink alcohol for various reasons such as health, exercise, and dieting, maintaining its number one position.

Hite Zero 0.00 contains no alcohol but is manufactured using HiteJinro's dry milling process, allowing consumers to enjoy smooth foam and a clean finish.

HiteJinro Beverage plans to nurture Hite Zero 0.00 as one of the company's future core brands, anticipating that the domestic non-alcoholic beverage market will grow to around 200 billion KRW amid the growing health-conscious trend.

In 2017, Lotte Chilsung Beverage introduced the non-alcoholic beer "Cloud Clear Zero." It is a low-calorie product with 0.00% alcohol content, 0g sugar, and 30kcal.

Recently, the company renewed the packaging to strengthen its image. The package renewal features "0.00%" in red at the center of the product to emphasize that it is a completely alcohol-free beverage. It also highlights the 30kcal low-calorie content for calorie-conscious customers and uses a white background to evoke the rich foam and clean taste.

Prior to this, Lotte Chilsung Beverage expanded sales channels for non-alcoholic beverages to convenience stores and direct online malls. Although sales of Cloud Clear Zero grew by only about 2% year-on-year last year, cumulative sales through the end of May this year increased by approximately 60% compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, when HiteJinro Beverage launched the non-alcoholic beer "Hite Zero 0.00" in 2012, the domestic non-alcoholic beer market was only worth 1 billion KRW, but it has grown to around 20 billion KRW this year. The non-alcoholic beer market is steadily growing not only domestically but also globally. According to Global Market Insights, a global market research institute, the international non-alcoholic market size has grown at an average annual rate of 7.6%, from 16 billion USD (approximately 18 trillion KRW) in 2017.

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