Jeju Samdasoo facts for kids
Samdasoo logo.
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| Country | South Korea |
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| Source | Jeju-si, Jeju Province |
| Manufacturer | Jeju Province Development Corporation |
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| Release | 1998 |
Jeju Samdasoo (Hangul: 제주삼다수) is a popular brand of mineral water from South Korea. It is made by the Jeju Province Development Corporation. This special water comes from deep underground on Jeju Island. It is the only water in South Korea that comes from volcanic rock. The factory where it's bottled is in Gyorae-ri, Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si. Jeju Samdasoo is known for being very clean and safe. It has received important quality approvals from places like the U.S. FDA and Japan's Ministry of Health. This water is also sold in many countries, including China, Japan, the USA, and Hong Kong.
Contents
How Jeju Samdasoo Started
Water from Jeju Island has a cool history! In the 1980s, it was not allowed to sell bottled water to people in Korea. But Korean Air was allowed to make Jeju water for its flights. They still do this today.
In the 1990s, the rules changed, and bottled water could be sold to everyone. The success of Korean Air's water inspired Jeju Province. They decided to create their own mineral water brand. A special company was set up to make Jeju water. In 1998, they launched Jeju Samdasoo, which quickly became very popular.
Since then, almost all Jeju-branded mineral water has been made by the Jeju Province Development Corporation.
What Kind of Water is Samdasoo?
Jeju Samdasoo is known as "soft water." This means it has a low amount of minerals in it.
Samdasoo Bottle Sizes
You can find Jeju Samdasoo in different bottle sizes:
- 0.5L (half a liter)
- 2L (two liters)
- 1.5L (one and a half liters) - This size is usually only sold for flights.
Minerals Found in Samdasoo
Even though it's soft water, Samdasoo still has some important minerals. These are measured in parts per million (ppm):
- Calcium (Ca): 2.5 to 4.0 ppm
- Potassium (K): 1.5 to 3.4 ppm
- Sodium (Na): 4.0 to 7.2 ppm
- Magnesium (Mg): 1.7 to 3.5 ppm
- Fluoride (F): Not usually found
Samdasoo's Popularity in Korea
Jeju Samdasoo became super popular very quickly! Just six months after it launched in March 1998, it was the number one bottled water in Korea.
It has been the top brand in the market for many years. In 2009, it held over half of the bottled water market, with 50.7%. It stayed the market leader for 19 years in a row, all the way until 2017. By 2018, it had been number one for 20 years straight!
Even though Samdasoo is still very popular, new water brands are appearing. Some of these, like those from Nongshim, are starting to gain popularity too.
How Samdasoo is Made
The process of making Jeju Samdasoo is very clean and careful.
- The water is brought up from deep underground. It comes from volcanic rock about 420 meters (about 1,378 feet) below the surface.
- After the water is collected, it goes through a special cleaning process.
- First, it is filtered to remove any tiny particles.
- Then, it is treated with UV light. This uses ultraviolet light to kill any germs, making the water super safe.
- Next, the clean water is put into bottles.
- After bottling, each product is carefully checked to make sure it's perfect.
- Finally, the bottles are packed and sent out to stores.
Who Sells Samdasoo?
When Jeju Samdasoo first started, the Jeju Province Development Corporation made the water, and a company called Nongshim handled all the sales. This agreement lasted for many years.
However, in 2011, the Jeju Province decided to change things. They ended their sales contract with Nongshim. Even though there was a legal discussion about this change, a new company, Kwangdong Pharmaceutical, took over the selling rights in 2012. Kwangdong Pharmaceutical has been the main seller of Jeju Samdasoo ever since.
Images for kids
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Samdasoo logo.
