CEO Baek Kyung-hoon delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Jeju Development Corporation on March 17. (JPDC)

<이미지를 클릭하시면 크게 보실 수 있습니다>

South Korea’s Jeju Samdasoo set an ambitious goal to double its annual sales to 600 billion won ($412.9 million) by 2035 via production and logistics system innovations, expansion into overseas markets, and improved distribution and marketing strategies. The company aims to establish itself as a global bottled water brand beyond its current dominance in the local market.

Baek Kyung-hoon, CEO of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation (JPDC), outlined this vision during a press conference marking the firm’s 30th anniversary on Monday.

Jeju Samdasoo, launched in 1998, holds a commanding 40 percent share of Korea’s bottled water market. The water is produced exclusively on the island and even its bottles are manufactured in-house. According to JPDC, demand consistently outpaces production. “We will enhance production efficiency by replacing aging facilities and integrating the bottle injection process,” Baek said. “We will expand production capacity from the current 1 million tons per year to 1.5 million tons by 2027.”

The company is also investing in logistics, with 90 percent of its sales occurring on the mainland, and invested 27 billion won in its first metropolitan logistics center in Yeoju, east of Seoul, in 2024 to reduce costs. “We plan to establish additional logistics centers in the eastern and southern parts of the Seoul metropolitan area,” Baek said.

Expanding overseas sales is another key priority. Although Jeju Samdasoo is exported to the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, and the United States, exports currently account for just 1 percent of total sales. “To strengthen our global distribution, we will dispatch local representatives, engage in promotional activities tied to ASEAN diplomatic events, tailor branding and packaging to local markets, and operate Samdasoo experience centers abroad,” Baek said. The company aims to export 100,000 tons annually by 2030.

The distribution and marketing strategy will also undergo changes. “Online sales of Samdasoo matched offline sales in 2024, and online sales are expected to surpass offline sales this year,” Baek said. Convenience store sales have been growing rapidly on offline channels. The company plans to focus on bulk sales online while emphasizing single-bottle purchases in offline stores. It will also enhance experiential marketing efforts, such as pop-up stores, to engage customers.