흔들림 없던 커피믹스 시장 흔들다

‘Coffee mix’ market no longer a two-horse race
As newcomer Namyang rattles Dongsuh and Nestle, all three try to stem switch to brewed

Fierce competition is brewing in the “coffee mix” industry as consumers’ tastes evolve rapidly in this era of franchise chains like Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf that offer ever more exotic concoctions.

Once satisfied with their slim pouches of ground instant coffee with cream and sugar, increasingly savvy local drinkers are demanding more refined and exquisite flavors, a trend that is causing ripples in the industry.

Early last year, Lotte Chilsung got the ball rolling by introducing its Cantata coffee mix in a bid to attract young coffeeholics.

And the market got hotter when Namyang Dairy Products rolled out its French Cafe brand of lattes to threaten the dominance of Dongsuh Food’s Maxim coffee mix.

Dongsuh, the nation’s favorite instant coffee maker, countered in October of this year by unveiling Kanu, which claims to offer the same taste as brewed coffee, while Nestle threw its hat in the ring last month with My Cup - eschewing tacky plastic cups for the more sophisticated kind dished out at Starbucks.

“My Cup meets the changing preferences of consumers and also offers greater convenience by adopting the latest trends, while offering premium coffee at an affordable price,” said Nestle spokesperson Lee Hae-yeon.

Korea’s coffee market is huge, with 34 million adults drinking an average of 1.83 cups a day, according to a recent study by Dongsuh Food. The market has more than doubled in value in four years, from 1.56 trillion won ($1.35 billion) in 2007 to 3.69 trillion won this year, it added.

Instant coffees are still the top-selling products in Korea’s coffee market, making up 1.42 trillion won of total sales compared to 836 billion won four years ago.

According to the Korea International Trade Association, Korea imported $508 million of ground coffee and coffee beans in the first 10 months of the year, already far surpassing last year’s total of $307 million.

Coffee shops are also growing in popularity, with total sales ballooning from 430 billion won in 2007 to 1.38 trillion won.

With brewed coffees encroaching on their target customers, instant coffee makers have begun seeking more creative ways of keeping their grip on the market.

“To differentiate our products, our researchers focused on improving the quality of the creamer by adding fat-free milk to replace sodium caseinate, an artificial chemical widely used by coffee-mix makers,” said Kim Hong-tei, a spokesman for Namyang, adding that the company invested heavily in this area.

“The domestic coffee mix market has been a two-horse race [between Dongsuh and Nestle] for a long time,” Kim said. “Naturally, the two companies saw little need to change their ingredients as customers had few other options. But our surveys showed that many people wanted a new creamer, so we figured we could tap that niche market.”

The competition among instant coffee makers is also changing the landscape of the industry.

Dongsuh’s dominance in this segment has lasted for more than three decades, ever since it released its first three-in-one coffee in a pack in 1980. In fact, its Maxim brand became such an instant hit that Nestle followed suit in 1987 by releasing Taster’s Choice.

But the pioneer is now being threatened by the release of new products from rivals.

According to Nielson Korea, Dongsuh coffee mix products controlled 84.5 percent of coffee mix sales in January at the nation’s three major discount stores of E-Mart, Homeplus and Lotte Mart, with Nestle trailing at 11.7 percent.

But the market leader saw its huge lead eaten into mid-year, falling to 77.1 percent in June, just six months after new market player Namyang Dairy jumped into the fray.

And market observers say the competition is likely to come to a boil next year.

“Namyang managed to square itself away in the market nicely this year to emerge as the runner-up in the market, but the battle between the top two will just get fiercer in 2012,” said one official at a local discount chain.

But even though more people are making the switch to brewed coffee over instant, the convenience and affordability of the latter - as well as Korea’s collective sweet tooth - have kept it as the nation’s most-lucrative market.

‘카페 라떼의 맛을 내주는 커피믹스를 만들 수 없을까. 커피 전문점에서 제일 많이 팔리는 게 카페 라떼인데.’

지난해 말 시장에 선보인 남양유업의 커피믹스 ‘프렌치카페 카페믹스’는 이런 생각으로부터 탄생했다. 관건은 흔히들 ‘프림’이라 부르는 ‘크리머’. 기존의 커피믹스용 크리머로는 카페 라떼의 맛을 구현하기 어려웠다. 하지만 남양유업엔 1964년 설립 이래 40여 년 쌓아 온 유제품 관련 노하우가 있었다. 지방 성분이 없는 우유를 활용해 라떼 맛을 내주는 크리머와 커피믹스를 개발하는 데 성공했다.

그렇다고 해도 ‘개발 성공’과 ‘시장에서의 성공’은 다른 얘기. 처음 ‘프렌치카페 카페믹스’가 나왔을 때 업계에선 반신반의했다. 워낙 1, 2위의 아성이 굳건했기 때문이다. 커피믹스는 30년간 사업을 해온 1위 동서식품이 약 80%, 2위 한국네슬레가 약 20%를 차지하는 시장.

그러나 남양유업은 요지부동일 것 같았던 구도를 흔들었다. 주요 대형마트들에 따르면 지난달 대형마트에서 팔린 커피믹스 중 18%가 남양유업 제품이다. 한국네슬레를 약 10%포인트 차이로 3위로 밀어냈다. 여기엔 ‘무지방 커피크리머’와 더불어 ‘커피믹스 낱개 질소 충전 포장’이란 방식도 한몫했다. 봉지 안에 질소를 채워 커피믹스가 산소와 닿을 수 없게 함으로써 변질 가능성을 대폭 낮춘 것이다. 김웅 남양유업 대표는 “소비자들이 원하는 바를 정확히 파악해 눈높이에 맞춘 상품을 내놓으면 성공한다는 사실을 ‘프렌치카페 카페믹스’가 다시 한번 입증했다”고 평했다.

남양유업의 또 다른 효자상품 ‘떠먹는 불가리스’도 판매 기록을 연일 갈아치우고 있다. 2009년 출시된 ‘떠먹는 불가리스’는 그해 하루 판매량 50만 개를 넘어서더니 올해에는 하루 평균 65만 개가 팔려나가고 있다. 통상 요구르트 시장에서 ‘히트 상품’의 기준은 1일 판매 10만 개를 넘느냐 하는 것. 그런 점에서 보면 ‘떠먹는 불가리스’는 ‘수퍼 히트’ 상품인 셈이다.

올 들어 지난달 말까지는 2억1000만 개가 팔려 한 해 판매량 2억 개를 넘어서는 기록을 세웠다. 출시 초에는 ‘국민 여동생’이라 불리던 배우 문근영을, 지난 7월부터는 또 다른 국민 여동생인 가수 ‘아이유’를 모델로 쓰더니, 제품 자체가 아예 ‘국민 요구르트’로 자리 잡을 태세인 것이다. 김웅 대표는 “내년에는 특히 학생과 직장인 대상 마케팅에 집중해 ‘떠먹는 불가리스’의 시장 점유율을 한층 끌어올리겠다”고 포부를 밝혔다.