South Korea: Hite Jinro to release its first new lager in six years

Hite Jinro said on March 13 it will release its first new lager brand in six years next week, the Korea Times reported.

The sub-brand dubbed Terra will hit domestic store shelves on March 21. The product is designed to provide a more "refreshing taste" compared to other beers already on the market.

Fine dust concentration in Korea has caused rising consumer demand for light, pure tastes in beer, according to Hite Jinro.

Terra will be marketed toward customers interested in health and wellness. Beer contains carbonic acid that forms naturally during the fermentation process.

At a press conference for unveiling Terra, CEO and President Kim In-kyu said the blonde lager brand will sharpen Hite Jinro's brand identity and restore its profitability.

"For the last few years, we were hurt by consumers' changing tastes and elevated competition with foreign beer competitors," Kim said. "The teams have worked intensively on creating Terra to revive the sales and attract customers back."

Hite Jinro, whose flagship brands include Hite beer and Chamisul Soju, said the new product has a soft, delicate maltiness with 4.6 percent alcohol content.

The product, priced the same as conventional beer, will be sold in green bottles to promote a more refreshing, pure brand image. The company added a twirl design on the bottle with an aim to make a splash in the beer industry.

"We tried to generate the best-tasting, highest-quality beer by differentiating every aspect ― from brew style to packaging," said Oh Sung-tak, marketing director of Hite Jinro. "Our target audiences would be men and women from the age of 19, but our prime target is millennials who have clear consumption habits and can generate buzz."

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