Over recent years, Korean alcoholic beverage soju has found its niche here in New Zealand. But there is now a new and Kiwi way to consume these drinks, thanks to two Auckland entrepreneurs.

Jagiya is a new alcoholic drink but is far from the traditional soju drink that Founders Ho Lee and Mark Callan are inspired by.

Seeing how popular the Korean drink has become in New Zealand, both Lee and Callan wanted to create a new product, looking at the popular RTD culture embedded in the country.

It’s a carbonated mango-flavoured drink that is sold in boxes of 10 cans, as opposed to Soju which is consumed as a spirit from a shot glass.

“Russia has vodka, Japan has sake, Korea has soju,” says Lee.

“We have the only fizzy soju RTD in the market. We’ve not come across another carbonated soju out there.”

Read more: Kiwi RTD company quadruples revenue in a year

For Jagiya – which is a term of endearment in Korean – Lee and Callan decided to go for the RTD format to give consumers options instead of choosing a drink that has a range of 17% to 24% alcohol content.

“People just want to have a few drinks while chilling out with their friends. We want our soju to be the new way that people perceive soju, drink soju and think of soju.”

Unlike normal soju, Jagiya has 7% alcohol content and can be found in a box, unlike the one singular bottle.

Callan does say that Jagiya is stronger than usual RTDs in the Kiwi market – but those who love soju will be able to enjoy this as it doesn’t stray too far away from the traditional drink.

Since its launch in September 2024, Jagiya has already sold out its first batch of 8000.

Both Lee and Callan say that the popularity of Jagiya was thanks to the Auckland bar scene, a big driver in sales, which saw the company revenue go up.

Now the start-up is seeking angel investors and business mentors to further generate growth in the year ahead as it aims to go nationwide.