From the 10th to the 12th, seven companies from the Andong Soju Association participated in ProWein 2024 held in D?sseldorf, Germany.
Gyeongbuk Province recently took part in this exhibition to promote the excellence of Andong Soju, a representative Korean food culture heritage with a 750-year history, and to target the overseas liquor market, fueled by the rapid growth of the global liquor market and the Korean Wave boom.
At the German ProWein exhibition, global liquor experts participated in the Andong Soju presentation.
ProWein 2024, marking its 30th year this year, is the world's largest B2B liquor trade fair, with 5,764 companies from 61 countries participating across 17 exhibition halls.
Reflecting the global popularity of distilled spirits, the newly established Hall 5 Distilled Spirits Special Pavilion (ProSpirits) hosted 322 companies from 45 countries, and Andong Soju operated the first-ever joint promotional booth from Korea at ProWein.
The companies featured in the promotional booth were seven member companies of the Andong Soju Association (President Park Seong-ho), established in January this year: Myeongin Andong Soju, Minsokju Andong Soju, Milgwa Nonilda, Hoegok Brewery, Andong Distillery, Myeongpum Andong Soju, and Andong Soju Ilpum.
The companies conducted exhibitions focusing on products recognized for their quality domestically and held tastings and export consultations for overseas buyers visiting the promotional booth.
A promotional event introducing the history, tradition, manufacturing methods, and key products of each company’s Andong Soju was held, led by Julia Meller (CEO of The Sool Company), a Korean traditional liquor expert, with about 30 attendees including local distilled spirits authorities in Germany, overseas buyers, and media representatives.
The promotion was conducted by tasting and evaluating the liquor while referring to distributed booklets, which attracted the interest of the attendees.
The Andong Soju overseas market development team, participating in the German ProWine exhibition, is gathered together for a commemorative photo.
Park Seong-ho, president of the Andong Soju Association, said, “We are prioritizing market expansion as a brand that captivates the tastes and sentiments of people worldwide by promoting the potential of Andong Soju, which is not inferior in history and quality.”
Following the establishment of the governor’s quality certification standards for Andong Soju last year, this year Gyeongbuk Province, Andong City, and companies are continuing preparations for its leap as a renowned liquor by developing BI and joint surroundings while understanding global trends.
Andong Soju’s sales reached 17 billion KRW in 2023, a 17.6% increase from 14 billion KRW in 2022, and export performance was 700 million KRW. The goal is to reach 1 billion KRW by 2026 through strategic marketing such as participating in international distilled spirits forums, overseas exhibitions, and producing promotional content to accelerate globalization.
Kim Ju-ryeong, director of the Agriculture, Livestock, and Distribution Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “We will spare no support to help Andong Soju rise to the ranks of world-renowned liquors, comparable to Scotch whisky, Maotai, and Suntory, as a K-Gyeongbuk whisky.”
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