50 Years Protecting Koreans’ Gut Health: hy Central Research Institute Writes the History of Korean Fermented Dairy
hy
hy will hold the 19th International Academic Symposium at the Daejeon Convention Center on July 1 to mark the 50th anniversary of its Central Research Institute. The symposium, which is being resumed after 13 years, will review half a century of research achievements and present a vision for the future as a "Microbiome Research Institute." Here is a closer look at hy’s history and the anniversary event that has shaped Korea’s food, beverage, and distribution landscape since its founding.
Q1. What was the background behind hy’s founding, and why did it recently change its name?
hy began in May 1969 as Korea Yakult Co., Ltd., founded on the principle of building a healthy society. At a time when the concept of lactic acid fermented dairy products barely existed in Korea, the company grew by establishing a healthy food culture. In 2021, 52 years after its founding, it changed its name from Korea Yakult to hy. The rebranding reflected a major shift in strategy, signaling its ambition to move beyond a lactic acid and food and beverage company and become a comprehensive distribution and logistics platform powered by its Fresh Manager network.
Q2. What led to the launch of Korea’s first lactic acid drink, and how was the Central Research Institute established?
In 1971, Korea’s first lactic acid fermented dairy product, Yakult, was launched for just 25 won. At first, the product faced skepticism and even ridicule, with some asking, "Why would you pay to drink bacteria?" In response, hy set out to localize the bacterial starter cultures that had previously been fully imported and to achieve technological independence. It established the first Central Research Institute in Korea’s food industry in 1976. After 20 years of persistent research, the institute succeeded in developing Korea’s first indigenous Bifidobacterium strain, HY8001. It has since grown into a unique research base with the nation’s largest strain library, containing more than 5,100 strains collected from across the country.
Q3. How has the iconic "Yakult Lady" evolved over time?
In 1971, the "Yakult Lady" began with 47 housewife sales representatives who promoted and delivered the unfamiliar lactic acid product fresh to customers. The organization became a historic sales network that helped expand social participation for married women. Over time, the name was changed to "Fresh Manager" in 2019. In 2014, hy introduced COCO, the world’s first ride-on refrigerated electric cart, triggering a major transformation in its distribution network. The role evolved from walking sales representatives to "fulfillment managers" driving mobile refrigerators.
Q4. What innovations did the mobile refrigerated cart COCO and the acquisition of the delivery platform Vroong bring to the logistics network?
The COCO cart, which maintains a constant 5 degrees Celsius, made it possible to deliver products to customers’ doors without any exposure to room temperature, creating a full cold chain and eco-friendly quick commerce with less packaging waste. hy also reached a new milestone in logistics by acquiring the delivery platform Vroong. By combining COCO-based weekly and subscription deliveries with Vroong’s nighttime and real-time delivery services, the company built a dense 24-hour last-mile network with more than 20,000 delivery workers. This allowed hy to expand its business far beyond its own products, successfully advancing its B2B Fredit delivery service and strengthening its position as a distinctive integrated logistics platform company.
Q5. What was the background behind the development of "Helicobacter Project Will," hy’s biggest megahit?
In the late 1990s, when all lactic acid drinks claimed that they "survive all the way to the intestines," hy’s Central Research Institute took a different approach. It focused on the fact that more than 70% of Korean adults were infected with Helicobacter pylori, a major cause of stomach cancer and gastritis, and set a goal of creating a fermented dairy product that could care for the stomach.
After five years and 216 failed attempts, researchers finally succeeded on the 217th test in identifying a proprietary patented lactic acid bacterium that inhibits the activity of Helicobacter pylori. That "217th act of persistence" is recorded as the most symbolic number in the institute’s history. Based on this breakthrough, hy introduced Will to the market in September 2000.
Q6. What is the story behind Will’s marketing success and the Nobel Prize-winning advertising model?
At launch, there were concerns because the product cost 1,000 won, several times more than regular Yakult. To build trust, hy made a bold marketing move in 2001 by hiring Dr. Barry Marshall, the Australian physician who first discovered Helicobacter pylori, as its advertising model. Remarkably, Marshall later won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005, after appearing in the campaign, further validating the product’s credibility worldwide. With the close sales efforts of Fresh Managers and strong word of mouth, Will surpassed 100 million units sold in just over four years and opened a new market for functional fermented dairy products.
[At a glance: the megahit Will’s record]
| Major Achievement |
| Discovery of a proprietary patented lactic acid bacterium through persistence |
| Premium pricing strategy that differentiated it from regular Yakult |
| Credibility maximized after the model’s selection and Marshall’s 2005 Nobel Prize |
| Pioneered Korea’s functional fermented dairy market and became a megahit |
Q7. What are the key points and significance of the 19th International Academic Symposium to be held on July 1 this year?
Marking the 50th anniversary of its Central Research Institute, this symposium will be held at the Daejeon Convention Center on July 1 and will be the first international academic exchange event in 13 years, since 2013. It will be organized as a session linked to the annual conference of the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology, under the subtitle "Beyond the Gut: Advancing Probiotics Through Integrated Science and Technology."
Scholars from Harvard University, Cornell University, and POSTECH, among others, will take part to discuss the gut-organ axis theory, which examines how probiotics affect not only gut health but also the immune system, metabolism, and the body as a whole, as well as AI-based personalized approaches. Through this event, hy’s Central Research Institute plans to announce a new vision of becoming a "Microbiome Research Institute" and declare its commitment to continuing to contribute to public health based on its half-century of history.
In one line: hy will hold an International Academic Symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of its Central Research Institute, resume academic exchange after 13 years, and evolve beyond its half-century fermented dairy legacy into a future "Microbiome Research Institute" and a comprehensive logistics platform company.
This content was prepared by MaeKyung Biz Content Planning Team based on official announcements and press releases.
