Non-Alcoholic Beer-Flavored Drink 'Hite Zero 0.00' Achieves 104% Sales Growth in Q3

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] HiteJinro Beverage announced on the 24th that the sales of its non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage ‘Hite Zero 0.00’ in the third quarter of this year increased by 104% compared to the same period last year.

Hite Zero 0.00 has shown rapid growth since its revamp last February. Sales in the first half of this year increased by 50% compared to the previous year, and the sales growth rate in the third quarter rose to 104%, expanding the growth margin. October sales also grew by 214% compared to the same month last year, and a sales growth rate of over 200% is expected in the fourth quarter, projecting that this year’s sales growth rate will be more than double that of last year.

The overall market size is also expanding. Thanks to the rapid growth of Hite Zero 0.00, which holds the number one market share in the domestic non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage market, the domestic NAB (non-alcoholic beer) market size was about 15 billion KRW last year, and it is expected to exceed 20 billion KRW this year.

The first factor contributing to the sales growth of Hite Zero 0.00 is that it contains absolutely no alcohol. Among more than 10 domestic and international brands on the market, most products contain less than 1% alcohol.

Hite Zero 0.00 is also popular for being the only domestic NAB product with zero calories. Recently, non-alcoholic beers sold domestically range from as high as 95 kcal to as low as 13.8 kcal per can. Hite Zero 0.00 contains less than 4 kcal per 100 mL, allowing it to be labeled as ‘calorie zero,’ which is the lowest level among non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages released in Korea. Additionally, Hite Zero 0.00 does not use any sugars or sugar substitutes.

HiteJinro Beverage believes that the rise in sales is partly due to the home drinking and solo drinking culture established after COVID-19, and plans to target both home-use and commercial markets simultaneously.

A representative from HiteJinro Beverage said, “Starting with Hite Zero 0.00, which was first launched domestically in 2012, we regard this year as the official beginning of the domestic non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage market and plan to create a market worth 200 billion KRW within the next 3 to 4 years.”

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