South Korea: OB to start selling its Cas 0.0 at restaurants for the first time in history

OB Beer, the No. 1 beer maker in Korea, will sell its non-alcoholic beer Cas 0.0 at regular restaurants from next month for the first time in the industry. Competition in the non-alcoholic beer market, which has been limited to the home market, is expected to heat up as general liquor wholesalers can supply not only alcohol but also non-alcoholic beverages to restaurants.

According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on the 28th, a revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Liquor License Act (Enforcement Decree of the Liquor License Act), which allows general liquor wholesalers to supply non-alcoholic beverages to restaurants along with alcohol, was approved at the Cabinet meeting.

Until now, general liquor wholesalers who supply liquor products to restaurants have only been able to distribute alcohol with an alcohol content of 1% or more. As a result, non-alcoholic beer has been neglected in the restaurant market and has only been sold in the home market. However, the demand for non-alcoholic products has increased significantly in recent years as the trend of "Helsifleisure" that pursues both health and pleasure has continued and the "zero" craze has risen.

As a result, OB Beer will sell 330ml bottle products of the non-alcoholic beverage Cas 0.0 at regular restaurants starting next month for the first time in the industry in line with the implementation of the amendment. The alcohol content is less than 0.05%.

In addition to home markets such as convenience stores and online channels, we will launch new bottle products for restaurants and entertainment markets in addition to canned products so that consumers can enjoy non-alcoholic beverages in more diverse situations such as general Korean restaurants and meat restaurants, an OB beer official said.

Cas 0.0 is characterized by using the same raw material as regular beer and extracting only alcohol through the 'smart separation method' in the final filtration stage after undergoing the same fermentation and aging process. The company explains that it embodies the freshness and thrilling taste of beer as it is.

On the other hand, Hite Jinro has not yet confirmed whether it will enter the market internally. This is because the alcohol-free beer Hite 0.00 is sold by its affiliate Hite Jinro Beverage, and practical problems such as adjusting its distribution network with its parent company Hite Jinro remain to deliver to liquor wholesalers.

An official from Hite Jinro said, "It has not been confirmed whether to enter the non-alcoholic beer market."

30 May, 2024