By Honorary Reporter Adinda Permatasari from Indonesia

Photos = Rinda Aldiyanti

Mojimik is an Indonesian version of soju with no alcohol. (Rinda Aldiyanti)

Despite its international popularity, Korean cuisine contains food with pork and alcohol that Muslims are forbidden to eat. So in Islamic countries like Indonesia, finding Korean food and drinks without ingredients based on pork or alcohol is difficult.

Two best friends from Bandung in the Indonesian province of West Java, however, have found a way to allow Muslims to enjoy a halal-friendly version of the Korean liquor soju. Their creation has no alcohol but rather mojito, giving the so-called Mojiso a fruity flavor.

Mojimik is Indonesian-style soju made from the fruit-flavored mojito. (Rinda Aldiyanti)

Sovi and Rinda Aldiyanti are the two masterminds behind what is called "halal soju." This drink is basically sparkling water or a carbonated beverage with fruit flavors like lychee, mix berries and apple.

The idea for making this drink was from Sovi, a K-drama fanatic. She said she realized how few Korean foods were made halal in Indonesia and that Korean drinks were hard to find due to their alcohol content.

She came up with the idea of creating a halal drink similar to soju and created the recipe for a fruit drink learned from her friend. Since Sovi had never tried regular soju, she made the drink using her imagination in a short time and then packaged it in a bottle resembling that of the Korean drink.

Sovi and Rinda then sold their concoction on Instagram along with other Korean food. "At first,
we were just making this drink for fun, imagining ourselves watching a Korean drama while sipping the drink. We never thought that it would get this big," Rinda said.

Two weeks after launch, their halal soju went viral on social media thanks to an influencer who made the drink a hot topic in online media. This led to a flood of orders for the drink that overwhelmed both creators, even from Singapore and Malaysia.

Rinda and Sovi decided to temporarily stop taking orders to better manage sales. They made a few changes to their product and rebranded it as Mojimik. Rinda said their halal branding of the drink caused controversy, so they registered for halal certification with Majelis Ulama Indonesia.

Rinda said the process will take a long time because the bottle must be changed from glass to plastic. Regulations say a glass bottle resembles an alcoholic beverage, so they have to change it.

Both inventors say finding a plastic bottle maker suitable for a home-based business is tough since many producers require large-scale orders. So they are still searching for a supplier.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.