Withus Global founder Danny Yoon is looking to expand his locally produced soju across the country, as he expands a growing business importing Korean pantry staples.

Saranghae Soju, which translates to ‘I love you’ in English, is Yoon’s latest joint venture that is dedicated to making and distributing South Korea’s national alcoholic beverage.

Soju is a clear spirit from Korea that is traditionally distilled from rice and mixed with sweeteners, usually clocking in between 12 to 20 per cent alcohol by volume, with Jinro Soju consistently named the world’s best-selling spirit, selling 97 million nine-litre cases annually.

Earlier this year, Yoon was awarded the prestigious First Among Equals Award at the annual InDaily 40 Under 40 Awards for building Withus Global over the past 15 years, the state’s premium Korean grocery wholesaler.

He was recognised for building a successful brand in a niche market, supplying staple Korean ingredients, fresh mushrooms and soju to South Australian businesses. He was also commended for his work in providing employment opportunities for people living with disabilities.

"If we want to fly high, don’t ask advice from a pigeon, don’t ask the duck, we need to ask the eagle."

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Yoon was born in South Korea and moved to Adelaide in 2011 with “broken English”, but has since thrived in the local business community.

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He told InDaily the rising popularity of K-pop, K-beauty, South Korean film and television programs had created a strong interest from Australians in the country’s culture. And this sparked the soju idea.

“We felt there was a need for more soju products, but at the same time, if we paid too much tax for shipping from Korea, or too much tax for the freight fee, then we felt like it wasn’t worth it,” Yoon said.

This inspired him to take a leap into making a locally-made soju, partnering with Wingfield-based spirits company Vino Cellars.

While SA is a leader in craft gin, whisky, beer and wine, traditionally made and locally produced soju is not yet a commercially mainstream spirit in the state.

But Yoon is hoping to change that, with the business owner keen to share South Korean culture with SA locals through the alcoholic beverage.

According to market research, Australia’s soju market is expected to grow by more than 38 per cent in the next five years.

It has been a long process to fine tune the soju product, with Yoon saying it took at least one-and-a-half years before his taste-testers gave it the green light to go to market in 2025.

“I thought making soju would be super easy because we can see what ingredients there are and how much percentage, so as long as we just follow the instructions, why would that not be super easy? But in reality, it’s not,” Yoon said.

“When the taste-testers tried the first time, they said this sucks. We cannot sell it.”

Over the past year, Saranghae soju has been sold at popular Korean restaurants across Adelaide including 82 Pocha on Grenfell Street and local Korean supermarkets.

More recently, the business leader has supplied the products to restaurants in Melbourne, Brisbane and Darwin, and is progressing discussions with major alcohol distributors to get the beverage into Sydney.

But Yoon says the soju venture remains just a small portion of his business, with the majority of his time dedicated to growing Withus Global and its retail arm Together Mart.

He said he is currently looking to expand his Withus Global warehouse in Angle Park and move to a larger facility in his bid to create greater access to Korean ingredients that were once difficult to acquire in SA.

“I want to just keep importing products from Korea here, but at the same time I want to just share our appreciation to local products. So if there is anything I can change to be locally made, I want to do that,”  he said.

“If somebody just teaches me or mentors me on how to do business in some better way, I love to take the challenge and I love to learn.”