Korean Food Ingredient Trade Mission to IFT Food Expo 2024

ATO Seoul organized a delegation of Korean food ingredient buyers to the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Event and Food Expo, held in Chicago, Illinois. The delegation consisted of 13 buyers from 5 food processing ingredient import distribution companies. IFT Food Expo, hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), is one of industry’s largest trade show exhibiting the latest products and trends in the food ingredient, food safety & quality, technology, equipment, processing, and packaging sector. Through the show and the market tour arranged by ATO, Korean buyers were able to improve their understanding on US brands, food trends, products, and network with industry stakeholders.

As a result of this reverse trade mission, the participants successfully conducted 86 business meetings with U.S. exhibitors. According to the post-activity survey, three out of five buyers answered that they have signed 7 contracts at the show (6.4 million USD). The other two responded that they are communicating with the U.S. suppliers to sign the contract. The buyers signed contracts for the following products: WPC, WPI, lactose, colostrum protein, frozen blueberry, frozen organic blueberry, dried blueberry, dried cranberry, seven berries concentrate, raspberry concentrate, butter, cheese. In addition, four buyers have responded that they expect a total of 14.2 million USD sales within 12 months.

Korean Specialty Food Trade Mission to Summer Fancy Food Show 2024 Leads to $2.22 million in Potential Export Sales

ATO Seoul recruited a delegation of 11 Korean buyers from 6 import distributors for fancy food products to attend the Specialty Food Association’s 68^th Summer Fancy Food Show (SFFS) held in New York, NY, June 23-25, 2024. SFFS is the leading trade show in serving up the newest and best in specialty food and beverage, and attracts thousands of diverse makers, buyers, brokers, distributors, and industry professionals from across the U.S. and the globe. Guided by the Food Export USA Northeast head office, ATO Seoul arranged retail market tours to enhance the delegation’s understanding of U.S. food brands, trends, and new products. During the three show days, delegation members enjoyed delicious product discoveries, had more than 80 fruitful networking/business meetings, and found out 37 new serious contacts showing inspiring business opportunities. According to the post-activity survey, the mission resulted in a couple of contracts for U.S. fancy food signed on the spot ($400,000) as well as an estimate of $1.82 million in potential purchases from U.S. food suppliers over the next 12 months.

U.S. Pavilion Showcased at Seoul Food and Hotel Show 2024 in June 2024

The U.S. Pavilion, featuring 31 American exporters and 6 U.S. agricultural trade promotion organizations, was showcased at the Seoul Food and Hotel Show from June 11 to 14, 2024. ATO Seoul organized a comprehensive program including a seminar, a market tour, and a welcoming reception, and operated an FAS information booth and a business lounge for the convenience of U.S. participants.

This year, a cooking demonstration program was newly added. It introduced diverse dishes using 18 different food products and ingredients provided by nine exhibitors over three days. This initiative showcased various cooking applications of quality U.S. food products while attracting a larger audience to the U.S. pavilion.

Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg visited the U.S. pavilion, meeting with American companies and participating in a cooking demonstration session along with a famous social media influencer. Also, DCM Joy M. Sakurai attended the welcoming reception, which had over 120 attendees, and wished for the continued success of U.S.-Korea agricultural trade relations.