Online-Only Launch Requested
Zero Trend Expands to Fruit and Vegetable Drinks
The 'Zero' trend, which started with carbonated drinks, has expanded into steady-selling products in the beverage market that have been on the market for over 20 years, gaining popularity.
According to the industry on the 13th, Woongjin Foods' Chorok Maesil Zero, launched in February, surpassed 2 million bottles in cumulative sales within 100 days of release, signaling a hit. From March to May, sales increased by 52% and 63% respectively compared to the previous month, rapidly gaining popularity.
Chorok Maesil is a product launched by Woongjin Foods in 1999, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It holds the number one market share in the plum beverage market and is considered a steady seller. Chorok Maesil Zero, which removes sugar from the original Chorok Maesil, was created in response to consumer requests. A Woongjin Foods representative said, "Chorok Maesil was the product most requested by consumers to be released as zero-calorie," adding, "We launched it as an online-exclusive product to pre-check consumer reactions, and the response has been better than expected."
Earlier, in February last year, Woongjin Foods led the zero trend in the fruit and vegetable beverage market by applying zero to the dried fruit drink 'Jayeoneun Deomalrin.' Despite the difficulty of making zero beverages due to the natural sugar content in fruits, they succeeded in productizing it by using dried fruit extract. This product sold 10 million bottles within five months of launch, and cumulative sales reached 25 million bottles by March.
Paldo also introduced a zero version of its steady-selling beverage Birak Sikhye, which celebrated its 31st anniversary in March. Sikhye is mainly made from malted barley and non-glutinous rice soaked in water to sprout. Since malt and non-glutinous rice naturally contain sugar, making a zero-sugar and zero-calorie version is difficult, but Paldo's research team used alternative sweeteners instead of sugar to preserve the unique sweetness. Through their own process, they left only fiber in the rice grains while maintaining the characteristic texture of Sikhye.
Birak Sikhye Zero surpassed 3 million units sold within 50 days of launch. This figure is four times higher than Paldo's initial sales forecast. Paldo is responding to the rapidly increasing demand by expanding production.
Additionally, Haitai htb released a zero version of its representative fruit drink 'Grape Bongbong' in May. Launched in 1981, Grape Bongbong is a product that enjoys strong support from enthusiasts due to the chewy texture of real fruit pieces. The zero version preserves the unique texture of Grape Bongbong while eliminating sugar, reducing consumers' concerns about sugar intake.
Meanwhile, the status of zero products in the domestic beverage market is growing. According to convenience store GS25, zero beverages accounted for 52.3% of beverage sales from January to April this year, surpassing the majority.
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