[K-Food Hidden Heroes] "Making 30s-40s Housewives Recall 'Nostalgic Pocha Anju'"

③ Kim Guk-hwan, Daesang Cheongjeongwon 'Anjuya' Marketer
Pioneering Frozen Anju HMR Market
Capturing Half of the Market Worth Over 100 Billion Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] As the number of people drinking alone at home, known as ‘honsuljok’ and ‘homsuljok,’ increases, the frozen anju (drinking snacks) home meal replacement (HMR) market is rapidly growing. When Daesang Cheongjeongwon first launched Anjuya (夜) in 2016, the frozen anju HMR market was worth 19.5 billion KRW, but it has grown into a trillion-won market in just four years. Sales of Anjuya, which pioneered the market, soared vertically. Sales nearly doubled from 29.8 billion KRW in 2017 within three years. The market share has also been maintained at around 50%.

"The target was housewives in their 30s and 40s"

Kim Guk-hwan, Anjuya marketer (38), said, "We targeted consumers who wanted to enjoy various anju that they used to have when dining out at home," adding, "We planned the product targeting housewives in their 30s and 40s who shop at discount stores and purchase both alcoholic beverages and anju together." Kim said, "We thought that women in their 30s and 40s, tired from childcare and housework, would long for an atmosphere where they could easily have a drink at home while recalling their younger days, so we planned ‘Anjuya.’ After COVID-19, the home drinking trend continued, leading to an increase in product variety and rapid market growth."

The first product Kim introduced was ‘Pojangmacha Anju.’ It started from a consumer idea that "it would be nice to have convenient meals for pojangmacha anju." Kim visited famous bars and pojangmacha stalls to taste and analyze anju. After experiencing the popularity of a famous pojangmacha anju menu in Nonhyeon-dong, Kim gained confidence in the product concept and proceeded with product development. They added ‘emotion’ to it. Kim said, "We decided to add the emotion that consumers crave through home drinking to Anjuya," adding, "It started with the concept of ‘This night that makes you think of a drink,’ and the packaging was designed with an indoor pojangmacha table as the background." The tableware used was the kind most commonly seen in indoor pojangmacha. Phrases like ‘This night that makes you think of friends, one longing, one boneless chicken feet’ express nostalgia for the past when young people enjoyed drinking with friends.

Distinguished from HMR products like Makchang and Dakbal

Anjuya sold like wildfire as soon as it was launched, becoming a so-called ‘big hit.’ Every time tasting events were held at discount stores, independent supermarkets, department stores, and supermarket chains, it continued to sell out. For the first year after launch, supply could not keep up with demand, allowing only limited supply.

One of the reasons for Anjuya’s success was its differentiated technology. Daesang Cheongjeongwon realized authentic taste through special part pre-treatment technology, secret sauce development based on 60 years of seasoning technology, and automated processes. They also developed convenient packaging that allows easy cooking from the consumer’s perspective, enhancing convenience. Kim said, "Anjuya’s Nonhyeon-dong pojangmacha-style makchang and dakbal products are so popular that they account for more than 60% of total sales." Market research firms have newly established a ‘frozen anju’ category, which was not separately classified among frozen HMR products. As products similar to Anjuya have been released one after another, the market size has expanded. Recently, the anju market has broadened its range from special parts to fresh meat categories. At the end of last year, Daesang launched ‘Anjuya Home Pub,’ a fried anju product line. It includes seven types: fried chicken skin, fried chicken gizzard, fried boneless chicken feet, fried jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), fried squid, fried dried pollack, and fried lamb skewers, aiming to boost sales during the summer beer peak season.

Kim said, "Anju consumption trends are changing due to the 52-hour workweek, dining restrictions caused by COVID-19, the activation of delivery services, and diversification of alcohol consumption," adding, "In response to these changes, Anjuya will research various new menu products to lead the second golden age of anju."

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