Hite Brewery Company Limited is a South Korean brewery company headquartered in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. Its main products are beer, rice wine, and mineral water.
History
The company was established as Nippon Beer Chosun Co. in 1933 by Dainippon Brewery (Sapporo Breweries).[1][2] After 1945, Dainippon Brewery property was confiscated by the Korean authorities and became Crown Beer.[3] In 2001 the company had three factories, and in 2002 its market share of the domestic beer market was some 55%, up from 30% in 1992.
In 2006, the company acquired Jinro, the popular South Korean soju company. Among the two companies, Jinro was founded in 1924 as Jincheon Brewing Company in Yonggang-gun, South Pyongan Province. In 1953, the company moved to its current location in Singil-dong, Yeongdeung-gu, Seoul, and changed its name to Seongjo, Cheongnyo in 1954, Jinro in 1966, and Jinro in 1975.