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Korean ginseng drink hits Costco in US

January 27, 2015
KGCUS' red ginseng drink Hong Sam Won (Courtesy of KGCUS)

KGCUS’ red ginseng drink Hong Sam Won (Courtesy of KGCUS)

By Park Si-soo

A ginseng drink produced by Korea Ginseng Corp. (KGCUS) is now selling at discount chain Costco’s outlets in the United States, the company said Monday.

The company said its red ginseng drink, Hong Sam Won, recently passed Costco’s strict quality check and was being sold at Costco outlets across the country.

“Costco has very strict guidelines,” a KGCUS official said. “We tried hard throughout last year and finally made it.”

He said Hong Sam Won has been available at small supermarkets whose major customers are immigrants from Korea or other Asian countries. This is the first time that the product is being sold by a state-wide distributor, he added.

A box containing 30 50-mililiter packets is priced at $17.99.

“The availability at Costco will help increase awareness of Hong Sam Won among non-Asian customers in the U.S.,” he said.

Hong Sam Won is one of the best-selling ginseng drinks in Korea.

The KGCUS sold $13 million worth of ginseng-based products in the U.S. last year. This year’s goal is $16 million.