Protein products that people take before and after workouts at gyms are establishing themselves as popular convenience store drinks. Protein drink sales have, for the first time, surpassed banana milk, long considered a national snack. As protein products emerge as a new shopping item among foreign tourists visiting Korea, Taiwanese visitors in particular are showing strong interest, buying protein shakes in bulk.
On the 6th, according to the retail industry, protein drink sales at GS25, a convenience store operated by GS Retail(007070), rose 29.3% in January–August this year from the same period a year earlier. During the same period, protein drink sales were 3.8% higher than banana milk. This is the first year in which protein drink sales have overtaken the banana milk category to rank No. 1 in the processed milk institutional sector.
When GS25 began selling protein drinks in 2020, there were only three related products, but now there are around 50. A few years ago, the products were mainly sought by consumers who wanted to supplement protein before and after workouts, but recently demand has grown for purchases to replace breakfast or snacks or to manage diets.
◇ Protein sought by foreigners, too… popular with Taiwanese tourists
Interest in Korean protein-related products is rising among foreign tourists as well. Among them, demand from Taiwanese tourists stands out. According to the "Foreign Customer Analysis Report" published by CU, operated by BGF Retail(282330), the most purchased item by Taiwanese tourists at CU last year was the pouch-type protein shake "Hanssonhanki." It is designed so you can pour water, milk, or soy milk directly into the capped pouch and drink it. It is a product of Renewpie, a small and midsize company that makes health and diet management products. Word of mouth spread after local influencers introduced Hanssonhanki on social media (SNS) as a recommended item for trips to Korea.
The top five items purchased by Taiwanese tourists at CU last year were all from the Hanssonhanki series. This contrasts with Chinese and U.S. tourists, whose No. 1 purchase was banana-flavored milk, and with Japanese tourists, for whom banana-flavored milk ranked No. 2.
Many buy several at once. In areas crowded with tourists, such as airports, Myeong-dong, and Hongdae, some purchase protein drinks by the box or spend more than 1 million won at a time.
A variety of Korean-made protein products are also being sold on Taiwanese online shopping malls. Some sellers offer not only individual items but also bundles of 10 or 20. Records have also been posted on Taiwanese sites that provide information on bringing overseas foods into the country, checking whether protein products such as protein shakes can be brought into Taiwan from Korea.
◇ Word of mouth amid the high-protein boom… competition at local convenience stores
The high-protein food boom spreading in Taiwan appears to be translating into demand for Korean protein products. Since COVID-19, interest in exercise and diet management has grown locally, increasing routine consumption of protein. As in Korea, more products are highlighting protein content prominently on the front of beverage and ready-meal packaging.
Local convenience stores are also actively targeting the market. Last year, Taiwan 7-Eleven's sales of health-related food and beverages exceeded 30 billion Taiwan dollars (about 1.2801 trillion won). Since 2020 it has operated the healthy eating brand "Simple Fit," expanding related products to more than 100, and this year it plans to set up dedicated refrigerated display spaces at some stores.
FamilyMart Taiwan's "Sports Support (運動應援)" ready-meal series, launched to target demand for exercise and diet management, also surpassed 1 billion Taiwan dollars (about 42.7 billion won) in annual sales. The share of the population in Taiwan that exercises regularly is 35.6%, and FamilyMart has recently teamed up with the National Sports Training Center to introduce ready meals developed with participation from sports nutritionists. The products are segmented by needed nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates.
Even locally, product lines are expanding beyond protein drinks and chicken breast to include high-protein soy milk, bread, and snacks, but Korean products' taste, texture, and convenience are being highlighted as competitive strengths. Rather than only emphasizing functionality such as protein content and muscle supplementation, approaching them as foods that can be eaten casually in daily life is cited as a factor behind their popularity.
Korea's protein food market is growing rapidly. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the size of Korea's protein food market expanded more than fivefold from 81.3 billion won in 2018 to 450 billion won in 2023, and is expected to reach the 800 billion won range this year. Market research firm Euromonitor International said Korea's ready-to-drink (RTD) protein drink market also grew from 6.4 billion won in 2020 to 124.5 billion won last year, expanding nearly twentyfold in five years.