CRIT Ventures Invests $1M in Los Angeles-Based Yuzu Beverage Brand YUZUCO

CRIT Ventures, a South Korean venture capital firm, announced on Sunday that it has invested $1 million (approximately KRW 1.5 billion) in YUZUCO, a Los Angeles-based premium yuzu beverage brand.

Founded in 2022 by veterans from global food and beverage companies such as Health-Ade and PepsiCo, YUZUCO specializes in crafting organic, premium wellness drinks centered on yuzu, a distinctively fragrant East Asian citrus fruit. The company sources yuzu directly from partner farms in Japan and employs a cold-pressed extraction method—using hydraulic presses without heat—to preserve the fruit’s signature bright aroma and freshness.

YUZUCO’s product lineup includes “100% Yuzu Juice,” a versatile premium concentrate that can be used in cooking or diluted as a beverage; “Yuzu Super Juice,” a mixer designed for cocktails such as highballs and martinis; and “Sparkling Yuzu Ade,” a ready-to-drink (RTD) sparkling beverage.

The company has demonstrated strong commercial traction since launching full-scale operations. In 2023, its first full year of sales, YUZUCO recorded revenue of $820,000; by the end of last year, annual revenue reached $4.65 million and the company turned profitable. Its products are currently stocked in premium U.S. retailers including Erewhon Market and served at restaurant chains such as The Cheesecake Factory.

With this investment, CRIT Ventures plans to help YUZUCO enter the Asian market, starting with South Korea. The firm will provide introductions to key Korean distributors, manufacturers, and marketing channels to support the brand’s regional expansion.

“YUZUCO has grown into one of the leading yuzu brands in the U.S. through our partnerships and supply-chain relationships with producers around the world,” a YUZUCO spokesperson said. “Korea holds an important position in our raw-material sourcing strategy and long-term vision, and we look forward to creating new collaboration opportunities with CRIT Ventures.”

Lee Jong-hyuk, managing partner of CRIT Ventures’ U.S. office, who led the investment, said, “Just as matcha has become an independent beverage category in the global market, we expect YUZUCO to captivate F&B companies and consumers worldwide with yuzu as its differentiating ingredient. The company has recently expanded its product range to include lemon and lime, and we plan to actively support YUZUCO in building a strong brand presence in Asia and growing into a global premium citrus beverage brand, leveraging CRIT Ventures’ network.”

CRIT Ventures has been steadily expanding its portfolio in the content and consumer goods sectors. In July, the firm invested KRW 2 billion in Bunkerkids, which operates the AI character chat platform WHIF, and also backed Butbeautiful, the company behind AI social app Churup, with KRW 800 million.

The food-and-beverage startup landscape has seen a wave of innovation in recent months. THE SMC raised $13 million to advance its AI-powered creator marketing platform ahead of its IPO, while Mateo AI Studio secured a pre-Series A round to scale AI-native content production. These developments reflect growing investor confidence in brands that combine differentiated ingredients, advanced production techniques, and digital-first go-to-market strategies.