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HiteJinro opens flagship soju bar in Melbourne to expand Australian market
Local patrons enjoy Jinro soju and Terra beer at Jinro Pocha Melbourne in Australia earlier this month. Courtesy of HiteJinro
By Ko Dong-hwan
Major liquor company HiteJinro is expanding the market for soju, a popular Korean alcoholic drink, in Australia with a new flagship bar in Melbourne to help introduce Korea’s drinking culture.
The company said Thursday it opened Jinro Pocha Melbourne on Feb. 27 to serve as a strategic hub for expanding the country's soju market. Jinro is one of the company’s signature brands.
"Pocha" is a shortened version of the Korean word "pojangmacha," a kind of street stall selling food and alcoholic drinks that became widely popular in Korea in the 1970s. The Jinro brand also rose to prominence during the same era.
Jinro Pocha Melbourne features a modern interior inspired by Korea’s pojangmacha culture. The venue features decor highlighting Jinro’s brand identity, including figurines of the brand’s toad mascot and limited-edition HiteJinro merchandise.
The bar offers Jinro soju and the company’s signature Terra beer, along with highballs and cocktails made with Jinro products.
The menu also features Korean dishes commonly enjoyed with alcohol, such as Korean-style beef tartare, buckwheat noodles with perilla oil and potato pancakes.
Through its new venue, HiteJinro aims to introduce Korea’s drinking culture, which often revolves around alcohol paired with shared dishes.
The company said Melbourne was chosen for the flagship bar due to the city’s diverse and vibrant culinary scene shaped by many different cultural influences.
The bar is hosting a grand opening week through Sunday, offering discount promotions and raffles for customers spending more than 150 Australian dollars ($99).
HiteJinro has been seeing steady growth in the Australian market. Major local liquor retailers such as BWS and Dan Murphy's have begun selling the company’s products.
In particular, Dan Murphy's has introduced dedicated shelves for Jinro’s fruit-flavored soju lineup and Chamisul brand across its roughly 1,400 stores nationwide.
HiteJinro said its soju sales in Australia rose 20 percent last year from a year earlier.
“Local marketing activities, including Jinro advertisements on Sydney Light Rail and our participation in the Sydney Spirits Festival in 2025, have helped raise brand awareness in the Australian market,” said Hwang Jeong-ho, executive director of HiteJinro’s overseas business division.