Young Kiwi entrepreneurs aim to serve their unique Korean-inspired drink to the world
NZ Entrepreneur Magazine
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A new way of enjoying one of Korea’s most popular beverages is now available in a ready-to-drink format, thanks to two young Auckland-based entrepreneurs.
Ho Lee and Mark Callan launched their new product Jagiya Soju in September this year, and since rolling out their marketing campaign have already sold out of their first batch of 10,000 cans.
Soju is often called Korean vodka, but Jagiya Soju’s product is different – it’s a carbonated mango-flavoured drink that is sold primarily in boxes of 10 cans, as opposed to being consumed as a spirit from a shot glass.
In the company name, ‘Jagiya,’ is an affectionate way to address your boyfriend or girlfriend in Korean, while ‘soju’, meaning ‘burned liquor’, is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in Korea because it is readily available and relatively low-priced.
“Russia has vodka, Japan has sake, Korea has soju,” says Ho.
“We have the only fizzy soju RTD in the market. We’ve not come across another carbonated soju out there.”
Ho says they decided to market their soju in an RTD product format as not all consumers want to drink soju with a 24% alcohol content from shot glasses. Most soju has between 17 to 24 percent alcohol content with the best-selling soju being around 17 percent.
“People just want to have a few drinks while chilling out with their friends. We want our soju to be the new way that people perceive soju, drink soju and think of soju.”
Jagiya Soju’s beverage has a 7 percent alcohol volume per can, which Callan acknowledges is higher than many RTDs on the market. Both New Zealand and Korea have soju RTDs with alcohol at three per cent.
“Ours is definitely a strong drink, but for those who like to drink soju - and we always encourage consumers of our product to drink responsibly - we know they will enjoy this,” Callan says.
Soju is the world’s top-selling liquor by volume and a recognised product globally, not just in Asian countries - and with New Zealand being the world’s number-one selling market for RTDs globally, Ho and Callan say it made perfect sense to market their product in an RTD format here.
“We want to capitalise on that global market and bring something new to soju consumers both here and around the world,” Ho says.
While the company was founded in May this year, it was officially launched in September at an event at the Hazy Tiger bar in Auckland, attended by over 200 local soju fans.
Entertainment at the launch featured popular South Korean rapper, Lee Jin-yong - better known by his stage name Loopy - who has more than 300,000 Instagram followers and was on tour in New Zealand at the time.
“We were stoked that, with just one week’s notice, so many people came to see Loopy perform for free at the launch and try our soju,” Ho says.
Since the launch, Callan - who sold his car to assist in funding the startup - has been pounding the pavements of Auckland, visiting bars and restaurants promoting their soju drink.
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“We don’t have much money, but we do have connections – and we are using all our resources, other than money, to get the product where it needs to be,” Callan says.
While the mango flavour is their lead product, they are planning to release a new grape flavour next month, and will be introducing a melon variety next year.
It’s clear that both founders love the taste of soju, which gives them a natural passion for their own product.
“We want to bring some Asian flavours to New Zealand that people here would not have necessarily tried,” Ho says.
While the pair’s contacts amongst the Auckland bar scene have driven sales and company revenue up to now, the startup will be seeking angel investors and business mentors to generate growth in the year ahead that will drive their ambitions to expand nationwide.
Since registering the startup as a company, launching the product and already selling 8,000 units, Ho and Callan admit their journey has been a hard slog with lots of learning curves – as well as exciting.
“It never fails to be a ‘pinch yourself’ moment for me when I see people drinking and enjoying our product,” Callan says.
“We want to bring a fresh, modern vibe to the soju scene, offering a taste that celebrates both Korean traditions and the creativity of New Zealand’s nightlife.”
Story by Dave Crampton
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