Seoul Tonic has launched its second recovery tonic, this time combining its proprietary Korean pear juice with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and red ginseng. The brand cornering the Australian market in Korean-inspired tonics is looking to redefine what it means to be an FMCG brand and expand its point of difference beyond just being known as a hangover cure. “It did seem like the natural next step and an evolution, cementing us more into a wellness and lifestyle brand and moving away from the han
he hangover,” Sophie Hood, founder of Seoul Tonic, told Inside Retail.
Seoul Tonic is pioneering a new range of functional beverages that answers the demand of 64 per cent of Australians who seek drinks with added health benefits – without compromising on tradition, efficacy, taste or brand.
Honouring the culture of origin
Hood founded Seoul Tonic in 2021, in partnership with Mr Parks, a third-generation Korean pear farmer who wanted to share his produce and formulations to the world.
Together the duo are working to redefine social occasions and the wellness industry by introducing new consumption moments to the Western market with Korean-inspired tonics.
“The consumption moments that we’re talking about, say pre-alcohol or post-alcohol or for general wellness, have been well established in Korea,” explained Hood.
“So we’re tapping into something that we do, but we’re partnering with a man who can create and help us disrupt the Western consumption moment of it,” she added.
In traditional Korean culture, according to Mr Parks, Seoul Tonic’s business partner, people consume vinegar the day after drinking to reduce acidity in the stomach – a typical side effect that builds up when drinking alcohol.
With the health benefits of ACV in mind Hood set out on a mission in collaboration with Mr Parks “to make vinegar taste good”.
“It took over 18 months of rigorous product development… We also formulated it with an ingredient called ginseng, it’s a really powerful root, and it tastes like dirt,” Hood confessed.
“It’s very hard to formulate so we had two things up against us with both the ginseng and the ACV – Interestingly, the Korean pear offset the apple cider and the ginseng. It actually works,” she added.
Overcoming consumption barriers
Seoul Tonic had three challenges to overcome to get its recovery tonic to market; taste, convenience and usability.
“We’ve taken everything that’s great about apple cider vinegar and solved the biggest consumption barriers,” stated Hood.
A trifecta that could only be achieved by marrying Mr Parks traditional Korean fermentation techniques and Hood’s brand of accessible wellness drink pouches.
Product efficacy remains a top priority for Seoul Tonic as the brand looks to overtake some of the leading sports and recovery drinks in the market.
“What we found was that any other ACV drinks that were marketed don’t actually have a high percentage of ACV and if you actually looked at the contents, the first ingredient would often be filtered water,” shared Hood.
Seoul Tonic is making a long play to compete with hydration drinks like Gatorade, Barroca and Hydralyte – drinks with a long list of ingredients that often contain chemicals, flavouring and additives.
Its latest recovery tonic only has three ingredients: Korean pear juice, ACV and red ginseng.
“We’re trying to be super clean, the Korean way, effective but also tastes good,” Hood said.
More than a beverage brand
After bringing Seoul Tonic’s second product to market, Hood is rethinking the brand’s category positioning and distribution opportunities.
“It’s not about what you just put on your body anymore, it’s about what you put in it,” stated Hood.
After observing the convergence of the wellness, beauty and fashion industries, the health tonic brand is beginning to position itself as more than just another FMCG product on the supermarket shelves.
“I think the way Seoul Tonic is moving is more into that lifestyle brand… I think the packaging lends itself to almost being a fashion accessory and something you want to be seen with,” Hood elaborated.
“Last year we were very fortunate to be able to be at New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, collaborating with some extremely premium cross-category brands.”
While Seoul Tonic will still be stocked across health food stores, supermarket aisles and fitness hubs, Hood now has her sights set on stocking her tonics in premium beauty spaces as a next-generation wellness brand.
Seoul Tonic wants to continue disrupting the beverage space as it works its way into more consumers’ everyday wellness routines, a feasible goal with ingestible beauty and alcohol moderation on the rise.
“Creating a product that hasn’t been seen before is actually quite scary because it’s not just an evolution of something that exists in the market,” concluded Hood.
“Seoul Tonic is something brand-new, but we rely on the fact that we’ve built the ‘OG’ product and we’ve got a loyal customer base.”