Korean Fresh Produce Buyers Delegation to 2018 PMA Fresh Summit, Orlando, FL, October 17-20

ATO Seoul organized a delegation of eight Korean fresh produce buyers to the 2018 PMA Fresh Summit, October 17-20. The delegation included buyers from large retail stores, a TV home shopping channel, and a fresh produce distributor. Fresh Summit is the largest event for the global fresh produce and floral supply chain, held annually by the Produce Marketing Association (PMA). ATO leveraged four of the Korean buyers’ participation in Fresh Summit, through PMA’s first time buyers program and arranged field trips to citrus farms and packers, and retail stores to enhance the buyers’ understanding of the American citrus supply chain and consumer trends. The Korean buyers were able to identify the current trend of the fresh produce industry, build relationship with industry stakeholders, and have one-on-one meetings with more than 50 suppliers. As a result, their companies reported $42 million in sales of American fresh produce during the show and estimated an additional $51 million in sales within the next 12 months.

Great American Culinary Camp Seoul 2018, September 4, Millennium Hilton Hotel Seoul

Great American Culinary Camp Seoul 2018, co-hosted by ATO Seoul and the Korean Alumni Association of the Culinary Institute of America (KCIA) successfully promoted the value, quality and diversity of American agricultural products to key decision makers of the Korean foodservice industry. A project team of four talented young chefs under KCIA presented an insightful presentation about American restaurant industry trends as well as 16 inspiring recipe ideas that incorporated various American agricultural products donated by 10 MAP cooperator organizations (ABC, CPB, CWC, NWCG, RAC, Sunkist, USAR, USDEC, USMEF, USPGC) and 2 suppliers (ATL Korea, Craft & Culture). In addition, the partner organizations and suppliers presented tabletop product showcase at the event and gained face-to-face contacts with the 170 attendees. An electronic copy of the Culinary Camp Recipe Book containing details of the recipes and products published for the event was made available on ATO Seoul website (www.atoseoul.com) along with cooking videos of the five recipes served at the event for on-line dissemination. An evaluation survey of the activity confirmed that the attendees gained better understanding and positive purchase intention on American products as a result.

Korean Processed Food Buyers Delegation to Fancy Food Show Summer, June 30 – July 2, 2018, New York

ATO Seoul brought a delegation of eleven Korean buyers to the Fancy Food Show Summer 2018, June 30 – July 2. The delegation was composed of buyers from 3 large-scale retail stores and 4 independent import distributors. The activity allowed the buyers to generate face-to-face contacts with a large number of American suppliers of high-value processed food and beverage products on the show floor. In addition, the delegation made fieldtrips to local grocery stores and foodservice outlets during the trip to gain understanding of the food supply chain and product trends in the United States. A follow-up survey revealed that the activity would potentially generate over $500,000 of new sales to American suppliers within the next 12 months.