“Asia’s first Kirin beer to be brewed” ... HiteJinro Co., Ltd. and Kirin to Produce Ichiban Shibori in Korea

[Financial News] “Production of Kirin Ichiban Shibori in Korea begins today. We want to bring Korean consumers fresh Kirin beer, which ranked No. 1 among Japanese beers last year.”
Kwon Gwang-jo, HiteJinro Co., Ltd.’s premium regional manager, made the remarks at a press briefing on the start of production in Korea by HiteJinro and Kirin, held on the 8th at HiteJinro Co., Ltd.’s research institute in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
HiteJinro Co., Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s Kirin last July to pursue a technology partnership agreement. Following the signing, HiteJinro Co., Ltd. will begin full-scale production of canned Kirin Ichiban Shibori at its Jeonju plant.
HiteJinro Co., Ltd.’s domestic production of Kirin Ichiban Shibori is the first licensed production arrangement in Asia between Kirin and its import distributor. This will cut the time from production in Japan to distribution in the Korean market—which typically takes about a month and a half—to one to two weeks. Korean consumers will thus be able to enjoy fresher Japanese beer.
Domestic beer consumption is plunging as interest in health grows, but Japanese beer is bucking the trend. The imported beer market excluding Japanese beer has been shrinking by an annual average of 3% since 2020, while Japanese beer grew by an annual average of 72% over the same period. Kirin beer, in particular, has grown at an even higher annual average rate of 82.4%, and this strong growth paved the way for domestic production.
Kirin’s “Ichiban Shibori” means “first wort” in Japanese. Unlike regular beer, which is made by mixing the first and second wort from malt, Ichiban Shibori is brewed using only the first wort. It is characterized by the rich taste of barley and a clean finish.
To recreate the taste of beer produced in Japan, the technical teams from both companies have been exchanging expertise for at least a year. They conducted trial production, sending beer made at the Jeonju plant to Japan and continuing until it met the same taste and quality standards. The yeast, a key ingredient, is supplied directly by Kirin in Japan, then cultured in Korea for production. The brewing temperature, time and blending ratios have also been matched to those in Japan. The companies’ technical teams plan to maintain quality through regular exchanges going forward.
Kwon, the regional manager, said, “The technical team from Japan’s Kirin transferred its expertise in four stages: sharing know-how, on-site participation, quality verification and future exchanges.” He added, “We will supply Ichiban Shibori reliably to Korean consumers without concerns about tariffs, logistics risks and the like.”
The Jeonju plant is targeting an initial production volume of about 1.5 million liters (3 million 500-mL cans) and plans to produce directly around 75% of total domestic sales by next year.
HiteJinro Co., Ltd. CEO Jang In-seop said, “I believe domestic production of Kirin Ichiban Shibori, one of our flagship imported beer brands, marks the moment when a successful business model we have built over the past 20 years on a foundation of mutual trust with Kirin comes to fruition.” He added, “With the signing of this technology agreement, our collaboration will move beyond a simple distribution partnership and develop into a future strategic relationship in which we jointly build technology and quality.”
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