Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Dongsuh Foods showcases various beverages using Maxim instant coffee
Park Bo-young in Dongsuh Foods' Maxim Mocha Gold commercial / Courtesy of Dongsuh Foods
By Nam Hyun-woo
Dongsuh Foods' café in Itaewon, Seoul, is gaining tourists' attention with its coffee-based beverages using the company's famous Maxim Mocha Gold instant coffee.
According to the company, it recently introduced five new coffee drink options at its Maxim Plant café located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, to offer customers a unique experience of enjoying the company's instant coffee products with creative recipes in a café setting.
The new offerings include Mocha Gold Quick Shot, which provides a bold espresso flavor, Mocha Gold Original, made with a newly created recipe, Mocha Gold Boost, which adds a deeper flavor to the Mocha Gold Original, the chilly and refreshing Mocha Gold Iced and Mocha Gold Filter, made with a filter-brewed coffee recipe.
The company said each option offers a distinctive taste, allowing customers to enjoy Maxim Mocha Gold in various ways according to their tastes.
Dongsuh Foods opened Maxim Plant in 2018 as part of its effort to refresh its brand image and appeal to younger customers. During the past six years, more than 1.12 million customers have visited the café and enjoyed various drinks made with the Maxim brand's instant coffee products.
Maxim Mocha Gold has been the top-selling instant coffee brand in the Korean market for more than 30 years. Dongsuh Foods said Maxim coffee is based on the company's 50-year-long know-how and technology in making products, perfecting the ratio of coffee, sugar and creamer to ensure a consistent flavor that is easy for anyone to prepare.
To appeal to younger people, the company has partnered with popular character franchises such as Kakao Friends, Kitty Bunny Pony and the Moomins. These collaborations feature attractive packaging that helps to enhance the product's appeal.
In June, Dongsuh Foods collaborated with Zanmang Loopy, based on one of the characters in the children's animation "Pororo the Little Penguin," to roll out a package of merchandises that come with Maxim instant coffee. The package included summer vacation essentials such as beach towels, cooler bags and ice boxes as well as trendy merchandise like figurines, mood lamps, pouches, keyrings and mugs.
"Maxim Mocha Gold has become the most beloved instant coffee in Korea based on our continuous product development and active engagement with consumers through various marketing activities," an official at Dongsuh Foods said.
"Dongsuh Foods will continue to introduce diverse products catered to consumer preferences and will promote the taste of Maxim coffee through distinguished marketing strategies."