Seoul Food and Hotel is the largest business-to-business trade show in Korea, attracting more than 40,000 visitors each year.

The Australian pavilion was one of the largest at the trade show. It was also one of the most popular. Austrade welcomed more than 10,000 walk-in visitors to the Australian pavilion and facilitated more than 300 in-person business meetings over 4 days.

Australian Ambassador to Korea Jeff Robinson and Austrade Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Korea Julie Quinn also visited the Australian pavilion and met with exhibitors.

This year, 46 Australian companies from 5 states showed off their premium food and beverages. They included Vitasoy, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Nature One Dairy, Bowan Island, Kreenuts and Bodie*Z. Products on show included packaged food, dairy, nuts, seafood, meat and more.

‘Korean consumers are sophisticated and follow trends quickly,’ says Heemok Cho, Business Development Manager at Austrade Korea. ‘They gather product information from social media channels and young consumers often purchase products online.

‘Korean consumers consider nutritional balance, healthy ingredients and the country of origin when choosing food products. The products that were popular at the show included protein water, keto cookies, chocolate balls with high protein and low sugar, organic flour and vegetable crisps.’