Expansion of Fruit Soju Lineup... Bohae Brewery Turns Eyes Overseas

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Bohae Brewery is actively targeting the Southeast Asian market with fruit soju.

It is interpreted that they are turning their attention to overseas markets as alcohol consumption has significantly declined due to COVID-19.

The strategy is to aggressively target overseas markets using fruit soju, which has recently gained popularity mainly among young women.

Since the end of September, Bohae Soju has been collaborating with the local Japanese company 'Eisan' to introduce fruit-flavored Ipsaeju such as apple, green grape, peach, melon, and soju called Bokbadeun Brother, which contains bokbunja (Korean black raspberry) juice.

Bohae products, which were previously sold in some stores in Korean towns within Japan, can now be found at 'Yes mart' locations throughout Japan. In the future, they plan to strengthen their lineup with flavors preferred by Japanese consumers, such as plum, kiwi, and cherry.

Over the past three years, Bohae Brewery's fruit wine exports have shown an upward trend. They recorded 1.36626 billion KRW in 2019, 1.46257 billion KRW in 2020, and sold 1.06712 billion KRW worth in the first half of this year.

A Bohae Brewery official stated, "We are producing and exporting various fruit-flavored soju tailored to consumer needs," adding, "We expect sales to improve as we expand our overseas sales network."

In July, they launched 'Bohae Soju,' a low-alcohol beverage with 16.8 degrees, targeting the domestic MZ generation who want to enjoy soju lightly and without burden.

This is a bold move that breaks the existing formula of Bohae Brewery's philosophy that "soju should be true to soju." Until now, they maintained the belief that Jeolla-do cuisine is salty and spicy, so the alcohol content should be high.

However, as the COVID-19 spread prolonged and losses deepened, they chose to make a change.

They replaced the traditional green bottle with a transparent bottle and added a logo with vibrant colors, attempting innovation in design as well.

Although the new product effect is not yet clearly visible, the company explains that if they put full effort into advertising and word-of-mouth spreads, it will become a key product driving sales.

The biggest feature of Bohae Soju is that it is flavored with salt. They optimally blend Sinan topan salt, known as one of the world's top three salts. The abundant minerals contained in sun-dried salt reduce bitterness while enhancing the original flavor of soju.

A Bohae Brewery official said, "We will strive to quickly read market trends and capture consumers' tastes."

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