Food delivery firms lure in customers with soju cartons and exclusive fruit

Industry

Published: 08 Dec. 2020, 17:29

Food delivery firms lure in customers with soju cartons and exclusive fruit

Food company Ourhome on Monday launched a delivery service that delivers fresh regional specialties directly to customers' doorsteps. [OURHOME]

As the coronavirus pandemic continues and Koreans stuck at home have exhausted all the regular takeout options, food and beverage companies and even high-end hotels are starting to get creative in a bid to attract hungry customers looking for something a bit different.

Food company Ourhome said Monday it has launched a new service delivering fresh regional specialties directly from places like Jeju Island and Wando County in South Jeolla. It is targeting customers who are missing out on the opportunity to taste different dishes because they can't travel due to the concerns over the spread of the virus.

Ourhome’s first lineup under the new service includes tangerines and golden oranges from Seogwipo, Jeju, abalone from Wando County, and lobster.

Customers are able to place orders online until Dec. 22. Orders of tangerines and golden oranges placed before 9 a.m. and abalone and lobster before 1 p.m. every day will be offered with same-day shipping.

“Ourhome launched the new direct delivery service in order to offer customers fresh ingredients at reasonable prices,” a spokesperson for Ourhome said. “We will look forward to adding more products to the lineup based on changing consumer trends.”

Hite Jinro’s paper carton of Jinro is Back soju. Customers who use the takeout service at restaurants are now allowed to choose cartons of soju instead of bottles. [HITE JINRO]

Soju producer Hite Jinro on the same day said it has introduced a 160-milliliter (5.4-ounce) paper carton of its Jinro is Back soju — the retro version of Jinro soju — available for business use. In October, the company launched it only for individual purchase but recently allowed restaurant owners to sell it in order to boost the takeout and delivery market.

“The mini paper pack of Jinro is Back soju is expected to satisfy customers whose consumption has been changing throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as being a great help to business owners who are trying to make up losses by delivery and takeout services,” said Oh Seong-taek, director of Hite Jinro’s marketing team.

Models promote Shinsegae Chosun Hotel’s self-developed Uni Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and Chosun Hotel Samseon Jjambbong (a spicy red noodle soup with seafood) as meal kits that are now available in all Emart branches across the country. [SHINSEGAE CHOSUN HOTEL]

Shinsegae Chosun Hotel has recently started selling its self-developed menu items Chosun Hotel Uni Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and Chosun Hotel Samseon Jjambbong (a spicy red noodle soup with seafood) as meal kits available at all Emart branches across the country. Originally, customers were only able to order the kits through SSG.com, Shinsegae Group’s online shopping platform.

According to the hotel, the two dishes were developed by a chef with 27 years of experience at Shinsegae Chosun Hotel. Roughly 100,000 meal kits have been sold in the three months since its introduction.

Shinsegae Chosun Hotel also said it plans to add kimchi fried rice with Iberico pork collar and spicy Thai seafood fried rice to its meal kit lineup soon.

“The home meal replacement market has been showing a huge growth as the trend of 'untact,' or contactless, services grows and people prefer convenience and premium products at the same time,” said Oh Sae-chang, head of Shinsegae Chosun Hotel’s retail sales and planning team. “We will actively develop and target the home meal replacement market with high-quality products made by Shinsegae Chosun Hotel’s veteran chefs."

BY BAE JUNG-WON, CHEA SARAH [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]