Haitai Beverage, an affiliate of LG Household & Health Care, said Monday that it was changing its name to Haitai htb to reflect its plans to diversify its business operations.

The company, which makes drinks like Sunkist, Cocopalm and Sunny10, said that removing the word “Beverage” from its official name signaled its decision to diversify into making medical and health food products. 

“We do not have a set date for releasing our new medical products, but we can confirm that we are planning to make products for peridontal disease and lotions for skin irritation,” the spokesperson said.

To prepare for the shift in business, Haitai Beverage received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety last year to manufacture and sell medical products.

Haitai htb said through a statement that it would be strengthening its price competitiveness in its new businesses by setting up structures for sterile packaging processes, also known as aseptic processing.

The “htb” stands for its original English name “Haitai Beverage,” according to a spokesperson for LG Household & Health Care. Although the essential meaning of the company’s name remains unchanged, the abbreviation “htb” is more open to interpretation than the actual word “beverage,” she said.

The revamped logo for the company features four hearts that symbolize the company’s future diverse operations.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)