Teamfresh Invests in Alcohol Beverage Startup 'J1'

Cold Chain Specialist Company Expands Business into Alcoholic Beverages

Cold chain platform ‘TeamFresh’ announced on the 11th that it has signed an investment contract with the alcoholic beverage manufacturing startup ‘J1 Agricultural Corporation Co., Ltd.’ (hereinafter J1).

TeamFresh, which possesses specialized distribution and logistics capabilities in cold chain, plans to expand its category to alcoholic beverages.

A TeamFresh representative stated, “Since the business is in its early stages, trust in J1 CEO Hwang Jaewon was the key to this investment,” and added, “We expect that J1’s solid alcoholic beverage manufacturing capabilities and TeamFresh’s cold chain expertise will create synergy.”

Prior to the investment, TeamFresh and J1 established a cooperative foundation for expanding the alcoholic beverage business. Currently, TeamFresh holds a wholesale license for alcoholic beverages that allows handling both general alcoholic beverages (such as soju and beer) and specific alcoholic beverages (such as takju, yakju, and craft beer). This qualification enables them to sell all categories of alcoholic beverage products in offline stores.

J1 established a brewery equipped with research and development (R&D) facilities for alcoholic beverages in August last year. Additionally, a traditional liquor based on celebrity IP manufactured by J1 is about to be launched.

A TeamFresh representative said, “Through the investment in J1, we were able to secure the entire alcoholic beverage value chain, encompassing manufacturing, distribution, and logistics,” adding, “This is part of efforts not only to expand the business but also to improve profitability through expansion.”

Meanwhile, ‘J1’ is an alcoholic beverage manufacturing specialized startup established in 2023. CEO Hwang Jaewon of J1 holds an advanced traditional liquor sommelier certificate and is known in the industry as a ‘traditional liquor expert.’ Based on his experience in product planning at Market Kurly, he also worked as the person in charge of the alcoholic beverage category at Naver Shopping.

Furthermore, after obtaining the traditional liquor sommelier certificate, he took charge of the brewery at the traditional liquor manufacturer ‘Holywater,’ building a business foundation. Notably, the takju ‘Markholy Original 6.0,’ which he led the development of, won the grand prize in the takju category at the 2022 Korea Alcoholic Beverage Awards.

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