HiteJinro's fruit-flavored soju becomes huge hit among Russian MZers

Soju, often called Korean vodka, has been enjoying success in Russia thanks to HiteJinro's localization strategy

Courtesy of HiteJinro
Courtesy of HiteJinro
1
Jun 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
F&B

South Korea's leading soju maker HiteJinro Co. has been enjoying great success in Russia thanks to strong demand for fruit-flavored soju from local millennials and Gen Zers, collectively known as MZers. Soju, often referred to as Korean vodka, is a clear, distilled spirit. 

The company announced on June 21 that exports of soju to Russia rose by 11% in 2020 compared to the year-earlier period. In particular, exports of its fruit-flavored soju, such as the Jinro Green Grape, jumped by 40% compared to the previous year.

Fruit-flavored soju products have become a massive hit among Russian MZers given the variety of fruit flavors and lower alcohol content than regular soju.

Jinro Green Grape (Courtesy of HiteJinro)
Jinro Green Grape (Courtesy of HiteJinro)


HiteJinro's impressive performance is tied to its ability to win over local MZers in Russia, which has strict alcohol advertising regulations.

The Korean soju maker targeted younger consumers by making good use of influencers such as YouTube streamers, food bloggers and bartenders to promote soju on social media networks. 

HiteJinro has also made serious efforts to broaden its distribution channels in Russia, such as targeting local supermarkets and chain stores in Moscow to promote its best-sellers such as the Chamisul soju and Jinro Green Grape.

Thanks to HiteJinro's successful localization strategy, the company has seen a significant rise in soju exports to Russia, logging an annual average growth rate of 76% since 2017. During the same period, fruit-flavored soju posted an annual average growth rate of 169%.

Moving forward, the company plans to continue fine-tuning its localization strategy to increase the number of stores that offer HiteJinro products in Russia.

Danbee Lee edited this article.

Korea’s F&B exports to surpass $4.5 billion in 2021

Korea’s F&B exports to surpass $4.5 billion in 2021

Consumers checking out HiteJinro's fruit-flavored soju in Singapore South Korea’s food and beverage (F&B) exports set a new record in 2020 and are projected to rise even higher this year. According to Korea Customs Service on June 14, the country’s F&B exports totaled $4.28

HiteJinro to export Terra beer to Hong Kong, Singapore, US

HiteJinro to export Terra beer to Hong Kong, Singapore, US

South Korea’s record-breaking Terra beer will begin exports to Hong Kong this month, and to Singapore and the United States from the latter half of June. The country's leading beverage company HiteJinro Co. said on May 12 that Terra’s initial export volume will be 1.2 million bottl

Shinsegae to enter Korean beer market with Lets Fresh Today brand

Shinsegae to enter Korean beer market with Lets Fresh Today brand

South Korea’s Shinsegae Group is entering the local beer market under the Lets Fresh Today brand as the retail giant is expanding its presence in the Korean liquor industry.According to retail industry sources on Mar. 5, Shinsegae L&B Co., the wholesale distilled spirits distribution

A Winter’s Craving: Gamja-tang

A Winter’s Craving: Gamja-tang

Staggering along one of those ubiquitous Korean mukja golmoks (or restaurant alleys) at one in the morning, I try to find my way to a cab when my drunken friend grabs my arm. I turn and look at him and he gives me a slow, friendly smirk as he raises his index finger in front of his face. Just

SK Hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee: Star engineer, bookworm, soju connoisseur

SK Hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee: Star engineer, bookworm, soju connoisseur

When SK Hynix Inc. announced a $9 billion all-cash deal to acquire Intel Corp.’s NAND memory chip business in mid-October of last year, the market gave the chipmaker the cold shoulder, saying it was paying too much.Weighed by concerns over the apparently high price tag, SK Hynix’s