California Wine Institute Trade Seminar & Tasting Seoul, October 14, 2019

The California Wine Institute (CWI) held a trade seminar and tasting in Seoul on October 14. Fifty-four California wine brands participated in the event, presenting over 300 different bottles. CWI Vice President for International Marketing in Honore Comfort joined the event, highlighting the importance of the Korean market for U.S. winemakers. U.S. wine exports to Korea totaled $22 million during the first eight months of 2019, up 11.4 percent from last year. Overall wine imports grow 6.3 percent during this period. CWI is planning a range of activities in 2020 to increase awareness in Korea of the quality, value and diversity of wine that California has to offer.

American Flower Industry Delegation Visits Seoul, October 6-8, 2019

Certified American Grown Flower Commission Administrator Dave Pruitt let a delegation of U.S. flower growers to Seoul, Korea on October 6-8. The delegation met with Korean cut flowers import distributors and held a seminar on premium U.S. flowers and foliage. The delegation also toured wholesale and retail supply chains in Seoul to learn about market trends and export opportunities. Korean consumer spending on flowers increased on average 6 percent each year over the last 15 years. Imports of flowers and foliage reached $123 million in 2018, up 14 percent from 2017. The United States is currently a minor supplier, accounting for only 1.2 percent of flower imports in Korea. Importers expressed interest in learning more about premium and specialty U.S. flowers and foliage during the visit.

Great American Culinary Camp Seoul 2019

The Great American Culinary Camp Seoul 2019, co-hosted by ATO Seoul and the Korean Alumni Association of the Culinary Institute of America (KCIA), introduced diverse, high quality American agricultural products to Korean foodservice professionals. A project team of four talented young chefs under the KCIA presented on American restaurant industry trends as well as 16 inspiring recipe ideas that incorporated U.S. ingredients donated by 9 MAP cooperator organizations (ABC, CPB, CWC, RAC, Sunkist, USDEC, USMEF, USPGC, and Food Export USA) and 2 suppliers (ATL Korea and More Than Craft). The partner organizations and suppliers had booths at the event to showcase their products, and met with the 170 attendees. An electronic copy of the Culinary Camp Recipe Book containing delicious recipes and information on U.S. ingredients is available on ATO Seoul website (www.atoseoul.com). After the event, attendees reported that they had gained an better understanding of high quality U.S. ingredients and were more likely to use U.S. ingredients in the future.