Unrivaled for 25 Years... Jeju Samdasoo Sold for 3.5 Trillion Won

Ranked No.1 Within 3 Months of Release
Single Water Source and Strict Intake Management

Jeju Samdasoo has marked its 25th anniversary this year. Since its launch in 1998, Jeju Samdasoo has sold over 3.5 trillion KRW in cumulative sales, maintaining its position as the number one bottled water brand in the domestic market.

According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation, which produces and sells Jeju Samdasoo, the cumulative sales since its launch in 1998 have been approximately 3.5 trillion KRW.

Jeju Samdasoo started with sales of 8.8 billion KRW in its first year and surpassed 100 billion KRW in sales by 2009. Five years later, it broke through 200 billion KRW in sales, and by 2021, it exceeded 300 billion KRW. Currently, cumulative sales exceed 3.5 trillion KRW.

Jeju Samdasoo has consistently maintained a market share of about 40% over the past five years, with a nationwide retail coverage rate of 98%. Moreover, Jeju Samdasoo has actively expanded beyond domestic success by entering overseas markets. Last year, it became the first domestic bottled water brand to enter the Indian market and is currently exporting to a total of 21 countries, including the United States, China, and Singapore.

Jeju Samdasoo is quickly adapting to the rapidly changing market environment and responding to the untact (contactless) market. Since 2018, it has enhanced customer touchpoints and convenience by expanding its direct online mall channels, including its own application, the ‘Jeju Samdasoo App,’ and operates the ‘Jeju Samdasoo Club’ to offer more benefits to customers. Currently, the total membership of the ‘Jeju Samdasoo App’ is 315,000, an increase of about 81% compared to 2020, following rapid growth in online sales after COVID-19. The cumulative number of orders has reached 1,657,000, and cumulative sales increased by 47.2% last year compared to sales in 2019, the year after its launch.

The secret to Jeju Samdasoo’s long-standing trust and love lies in its consistent water taste and quality. The Jeju Development Corporation has purchased and manages approximately 700,000 square meters of land?equivalent to about 100 soccer fields?to protect the water source of Jeju Samdasoo, which is produced from a single water source at Hallasan Mountain. Additionally, in 2021, it became the first in the bottled water industry to be designated as a ‘Drinking Water Quality Testing Institution,’ establishing an accredited testing and analysis system that ensures the objectivity and transparency of its internal test results both domestically and internationally.

Furthermore, the Jeju Development Corporation comprehensively monitors groundwater levels, water intake, water quality, river outflow, and soil conditions through 106 water resource observation networks and 58 groundwater observation sites around the water source and surrounding areas. In 2018, it began full operation of the L5 production line based on a ‘smart factory’ system, establishing an innovative production system for quality improvement, boasting the world’s fastest production speed of 21 bottles per second.

Jeju Samdasoo has reduced plastic usage by 2,570 tons over the past three years through various efforts such as introducing label-free bottles and lightweight water bottles, cutting usage by 9% compared to 2020. Furthermore, it plans to reduce plastic by 50% by 2030. Since 2019, it has been conducting a resource circulation project by collecting colorless PET bottles within Jeju Island, reducing a total of 7,100 tons of carbon emissions over four years, equivalent to planting 2,366,688 pine trees.

In March 2021, Jeju Samdasoo launched ‘Jeju Samdasoo Green,’ a label-free product that completes a 3-no system (no label, no colored cap, no colored bottle) to enable resource circulation without separate disposal after drinking. Additionally, it developed ‘RE:Born,’ a chemically recycled PET (CR-PET) using recycled PET for the first time in the domestic bottled water industry, and is actively conducting research and development to lighten water bottles, aiming to expand its eco-friendly lineup through material innovation.

Baek Kyung-hoon, CEO of Jeju Development Corporation, stated, “We have strived to deliver clean and safe water without change to repay the unwavering love of the people over the past 25 years,” adding, “Going forward, Jeju Samdasoo plans to continue maintaining excellent water quality and taste while repeatedly undergoing smarter and more eco-friendly changes and innovations to prepare for the future era.”