Healthy Soy Milk with Lentils Sells Out Within a Week of Launch

Maeil Dairy's New "Maeil Soybean Milk Lentil" Sells Out in One Week
Co-developed with Dr. Heewon Jung, the "Lentil Evangelist"
Nutritional Balance and Unique Ingredients Drive Strong Consumer Response
Maeil Soybean Milk Maintains Leadership in the Low-Sugar Market
Expanded Product Lineup Offers More Choices for Consumers

Maeil Dairy announced on August 22 that its new product, "Maeil Soybean Milk Lentil," sold out its entire initial stock within just one week of launch.

This product was co-developed with Dr. Heewon Jung, a medical doctor known as the author of "The Slow Aging Diet" and widely referred to as the "Lentil Evangelist." From the planning stage, they closely collaborated on nutritional design, ingredient blending, and flavor, using lentils as the main ingredient.

Maeil Soybean Milk Lentil [Photo by Maeil Dairy]

Each 190ml pack contains only 1.5g of sugar, but offers 9g of plant-based protein and 3g of dietary fiber, enhancing nutritional balance. This approach, which emphasizes both health and functionality, attracted strong consumer interest. Word-of-mouth spread quickly through online communities and social networking services (SNS), leading to a complete sell-out.

Lentils are at the heart of this success. Shaped like a lens, lentils are globally recognized as grains rich in plant-based protein and dietary fiber. They contain 23.6g of protein per 100g-over three times more than brown rice (7.3g)-and 12.2g of dietary fiber, also surpassing brown rice (3.9g). While lentils are commonly consumed in salads and curries overseas, their limited accessibility in Korea makes their introduction in a soy milk format a unique selling point.

A Maeil Dairy representative stated, "Transforming the nutritional value of lentils into a convenient product for consumers was key," adding, "Since the launch, we have received a wide range of positive responses from not only the 20s and 30s demographic but also from middle-aged and older consumers."

Since 2021, Maeil Soybean Milk has maintained its position as the undisputed leader in the low-sugar soy milk market for four consecutive years, from 2021 to 2024. The company’s early recognition of demand for reduced-sugar soy milk and the creation of new categories such as 'no added sugar soy milk' and 'low-sugar soy milk' were crucial factors in its success.

With this new product launch, the Maeil Soybean Milk lineup has expanded to a total of seven varieties: four no added sugar products (Maeil Soybean Milk 99.9, High Protein Plain, Black Bean, etc.), one low-sugar product, and options such as grain blends and chocolate flavors. The company also offers a 950ml large-capacity product, further broadening consumer choices.