Soju Story, a Naracella Subsidiary, Breaks Ground on Andong Soju Brewery... New Product Launch Planned for July Next Year

On August 27, Lee Cheolwoo, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Andong Soju Brewery of Soju Story Agricultural Corporation, held at the Gyeongbuk Bio 2nd Industrial Complex in Maegok-ri, Pungsan-eup, Andong City.

The event was attended by more than 50 people, including Governor Lee Cheolwoo, Andong Mayor Kwon Kichang, Kim Juwon, Head of NH Nonghyup Bank, representatives from the Korea Distilled Spirits Association and the Andong Soju Association, Komaki Sake Brewery, CJ OliveNetworks, POSCO, Samjong KPMG, and the National Tax Service, who all offered their congratulations and support.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Building

Soju Story, led by CEO Ma Seungcheol, is a company with Naracella, a leading wine import and distribution company, as its parent. It exclusively supplies over 120 brands and more than 500 types of global wines in Korea, including the popular wine "Montes," which became the first in the country to reach cumulative sales of 10 million bottles.

The company plans to begin construction of the manufacturing plant at the end of this month, complete it by February next year, and launch new products in July. With the construction of this brewery, annual production capacity is expected to reach 600,000 liters, creating 20 new jobs. The company aims to strengthen its competitiveness in both domestic and international liquor markets by positioning the traditional distilled spirit "Andong Soju" as a new growth engine.

Since 2023, North Gyeongsang Province has established the Andong Soju Association, launched a joint BI bottle, introduced the Governor's Quality Certification System, and pursued joint marketing in overseas liquor markets. Andong Soju is currently being exported to 14 countries, including the United States and Vietnam.

Last year, Andong Soju recorded sales of 21.1 billion won, an 11% increase compared to the previous year. Of this, exports amounted to 1.1 billion won, a 44% increase year-on-year, further accelerating the globalization of Andong Soju.

In addition, North Gyeongsang Province is focusing on attracting promising agri-food companies and creating a favorable environment for business to expand the agri-food industry and enhance the competitiveness of the local liquor industry.

In particular, the province is providing up to 5 billion won in site facility subsidies and up to 4 billion won for agri-food processing companies. It is also working to vitalize the agri-food processing industry using local agricultural products in collaboration with companies such as Kim Changsoo Whisky Distillery and Fermentation Workshop 1991.

Furthermore, the province expects synergy effects from establishing a virtuous cycle structure that leads to stable supply of agricultural raw materials, promotion of consumption, and job creation, resulting in the mutual growth of agriculture and the food industry.

Governor Lee Cheolwoo stated, "This groundbreaking ceremony marks a meaningful step toward entering the global liquor industry and serves as the starting point for a new challenge and growth for Andong Soju. We will actively support Andong Soju so that it can establish itself as a premium distilled spirit representing Korea."

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