2021 Korea Virtual Meetings: Specialty Beverage

The Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA®) and the 13 Western State Departments of Agriculture, announce participation and registration in the following activity, brought to you by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service:

2021 Korea Virtual Meetings: Specialty Beverage ~ September 29-30, 2021

Seven buyers from South Korea are seeking various specialty beverages to import from the United States, including craft beer, cider, wine, spirits, seltzer, shelf-stable kombucha, and other specialty alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks. These companies have experience importing beverage products into the Korean market from overseas and distributing to retail, foodservice, and convenience store businesses across the country. This is a great opportunity for Western U.S. suppliers seeking a distribution partner in Korea.

Please review the list of products each company is seeking, below, to see if your products would be a fit. If your products are a fit and you are interested in meeting with buyers from any of these companies, please register today! Meetings will be held over the course of two evenings, September 29^th and 30^th.

An Orientation and Market Briefing will be held on September 22^nd. Pre-event shipping and reimbursement instructions will be provided by the end of August.

Information about each Korean company:

1.  Taesan Liquor (https://taesanliquor.com/) - founded in 1990. Key off-trade partners (50% of business) include specialty stores (Wine & More, Monomart etc.), premium department stores (Hyundai, Lotte, Shinsegae Group), supermarkets (E-Mart, E-Mart Traders, Homeplus etc.), and several online stores selling their soft drink and mixer imports. On-trade partners (50% of business) are mostly bars and restaurants, mainly Japanese-themed eateries, but also include a number of malt bars, cafes and premium restaurants. Has a network of over 700 on and off trade partners throughout South Korea, with a strong focus on the Seoul Metropolitan Area. In Fall 2021, should see the completion and opening of their first specialty liquor store focusing on western-made products.

Seeking: Beverage mixes, beer, spirits (whiskey, gin), hard seltzers, RTDs, other beverage related products

2.  Roenhee (www.roenhee.com) – founded in 2018. They are an importer and distributor of foreign alcoholic drinks. Its main imported items are rum, wine, and whiskey. They participate in many exhibitions for networking, which leads them to an active business.

Seeking: Wine, beer, bourbon whiskey, gin (over abv 44%)

3.  BWI KOREA (www.bwikorea.com) – founded in 2016. They supply to pubs, restaurants, retail stores, and franchise stores. They currently import craft beers, wines, and whiskeys from Europe.

Seeking: Wine, whiskey

4.  INDEPENDENT LIQUOR KOREA – founded in 1999. Focused on the import, sale and distribution of RTD (Ready-To-Drink), wine, beer and spirits to Off-trade and also to HORECA (on-trade). They import wines and RTD products from the US, Italy, Spain, France and New Zealand. They want to supplement their US product lines, especially for wines and beers.

Seeking: Beverage mixes, wine, beer, and other liquors

5.  BTR Commerce (https://www.facebook.com/btr.beer) – founded in 2013. They are one of the leading craft beer importers in Korea. The company also imports wine and cider. They mostly imports products from the USA, Germany, Belgium, among others, and distributes them to HoReCa and other distribution channels.

Seeking: Wine, beer

6.  DM International – founded in 2003. They sell to both the on- and off-trade markets, but their main distribution channel in Korea includes 3 major hypermarket chains, convenience stores, Costco Korea, and other major retailers.

Seeking: Beer, agave wine RTDs, shelf-stable kombucha, spirits

7.  Luvincorea – founded in 2004. Distributes all over Korea to mainly the on-trade market’s foodservice sector. They specialize in importing wines and import wines from most European countries, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Seeking: Wine

*Note: it is not guaranteed you will have a meeting with each of the above companies as buyers have to agree to the meetings*

Benefits of Participation:

• Meet with qualified buyers in Korea without having to travel
• Learn about current trends and about your products’ fit in the Korean market
• Pre-event shipping instructions and coordination of delivery of your samples to buyers you will be meeting with
• Reimbursement of sample shipping expenses up to $300 

Itinerary:

• Briefing: September 22, 2021
• Event: September 29-30, 2021

Participation Fee: $30.00 per company

Registration Deadline: August 13, 2021