Prolonged Staying Home "Era of Large-Capacity"… Soju and Milk "More, Bigger"

Reduce Frequent Grocery Trips and Enjoy Convenient Home Consumption
Reasonably Priced Compared to Small-Quantity Products
Upgraded Quality with Popular Flavors Released

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has established a ‘stay-at-home culture,’ large-capacity food products that allow consumers to comfortably enjoy at home without the hassle of shopping outside or ordering online have become popular. In recent years, influenced by the value-for-money (price-to-volume) trend, the food and beverage industry has consistently introduced products with increased volume. With homes becoming the new ‘consumption centers’ due to COVID-19, there is a growing trend of upgrading the quality of large-capacity products upon release.

According to the industry on the 14th, HiteJinro Beverage recently launched a large-capacity PET product of its mixer brand ‘Jinro Tonic Water.’ The new product is a 600ml size introduced in response to consumer demand for large-capacity tonic water amid the recent trends of ‘home drinking’ and ‘SoTonic’ (soju + tonic water). Considering that consumers with low alcohol tolerance mix tonic water and soju in a 2:1 ratio when drinking SoTonic, the volume was doubled compared to the existing 300ml product while significantly reducing the price burden to increase practicality. A HiteJinro Beverage official said, “With increased interest in home drinking and home cafes due to COVID-19, sales of ‘Jinro Tonic Water’ grew by 30% year-on-year last year, showing its popularity,” adding, “We planned and launched a large-capacity product in line with consumer needs, expanded the brand lineup to broaden consumer touchpoints, and will lead the popularization of SoTonic.”

HiteJinro introduced new PET bottles in two sizes: 400ml and 640ml. Oh Seong-taek, Executive Director of Marketing at HiteJinro, explained, “In the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we have built a core product lineup that consumers can enjoy more easily anytime and anywhere, in line with the changed drinking trends.”

Purmil’s premium new products, ‘88 Banana Milk’ and ‘88 Fresh Chocolate Milk,’ have also received high consumer response. Reflecting the trend for large-capacity products, they were launched in 730ml sizes, with caps on the top of the packaging for convenient and hygienic storage. Additionally, they contain 88% fresh milk, characterized by the healthy and rich taste of pure milk, and have been upgraded in quality by minimizing additives other than the main ingredients such as fresh milk. A Purmil official said, “As more people stay at home, demand for large-capacity products has increased,” adding, “The 88 Milk line is receiving positive feedback for its healthy and differentiated taste and convenient packaging for large-capacity storage.”

Coca-Cola’s coffee brand Georgia launched the ‘Georgia Craft Milk Tea Latte’ in a generous 470ml size, and Dongwon F&B introduced two traditional Korean beverages made from pears, ‘Yangban Sikhye’ and ‘Yangban Sujeonggwa,’ in both 500ml and 1.5L large-capacity sizes. These products are made using aseptic filling technology, ensuring safety and preserving the original flavors of the ingredients.

Orion is selling the ‘Mitsu Large-Capacity Pack’ exclusively online, boasting a volume more than eight times larger than the existing product. Orion explained, “We introduced a virtual product called ‘Mitsu Cereal’ inspired by the trend of mixing Mitsu with milk or yogurt, and the content received great responses from netizens, leading to the actual product launch.”

Lotte Foods is offering a 900ml home-type ice cream called ‘Prime’ that the whole family can enjoy. A Lotte Foods official said, “This was launched in response to the overall increase in home-type ice cream sales due to the expansion of stay-at-home lifestyles,” adding, “Prime is characterized by its rich vanilla aroma and the deep taste of milk.”

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