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.

Trade Mission to the National Restaurant Association Show (NRA) in Chicago in May 2024

ATO Seoul organized a group of six buyers in the foodservice and business-to-business food sectors to attend the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago in May 2024. The program included meetings with U.S. companies and a one-day field trip to local distribution channels, grocery stores, and restaurant facilities. The mission members met with U.S. companies from different states at the special pavilion 'A Taste of States,' organized by NASDA (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture). According to the outcome survey, the members had meetings with 68 U.S. companies, reporting a total of $700,000 in on-site sales and expecting an additional $130,000 in sales within 12 months.