Agricultural Industry Marketers Host Korean Journalists

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

Why would the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) host a delegation of foreign journalists?

The answer soon becomes clear when we find out who the guests are.

Some of the province’s most recent visitors represented publications with readerships ranging from 30,000 to over 900,000 people.

In January, Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector hosted a pair of Japanese food writers. This time, it was the Koreans’ turn to be brought to Canada by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Embassy in Seoul.

The group—consisting of Yim Ho-Yeoun of The Eating-Out Management Magazine for Restaurant Owners, Kim Dong-Youn of The Korean Economic Daily, Kim Yong-Deok of The Monthly Food Industry and Kim Sei-Dong of Munhwa Ilbo (Evening Daily Newspaper)—was accompanied by Jong-Hoon Kim, Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul and Jake Thomas, an International Market Development Officer with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. They traveled across Western Canada seeking information on beef, canola, functional foods, food preparation and food safety.

During their one-day stop in Saskatchewan, STEP and SAF organized a program that showcased Saskatchewan companies and their products. The delegation began their program with a tour of CanMar Grain Products, where they sampled the company’s golden roasted flax seed. They also met with Chef Rob Fuller, the owner of Zest Restaurant in Regina, to learn about various food preparation techniques, and they were subsequently treated to a luncheon of Saskatchewan’s finest cuisine—locally produced, of course.

SAF hosted the luncheon at Zest Restaurant for the visiting delegation and the Saskatchewan producers who supplied products for the meal.

Chef Fuller created a variety of unique dishes featuring golden roasted flax from CanMar Grain Products (www.roastedlfax.com), organic beef and pearl barley from Poplar Valley Organics (www.cluborganic.ca), lentils from Diefenbaker Seed Processors Ltd. (www.dspdirect.ca), bison from Canadian Prairie Bison, saskatoon berries from Prairie Berries (www.prairieberries.com) and Riverbend Plantation (www.riverbendplantation.ca), canola oil from Canola Info (www.canolainfo.org), sour cherries from Over the Hill Orchards (www.overthehillorchards.ca), and wild rice from Points North Wild Rice Company (www.pointsnorthwildrice.com).

During the afternoon, the visiting journalists met with Saskatchewan suppliers and listened to presentations by SAF and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on food safety and Canada’s food inspection/regulatory system.

This event was another example of how STEP, SAF, AAFC and the Canadian diplomatic corps work together to create an exceptional opportunity to showcase Saskatchewan companies and their products to potential international buyers.

For more information, contact:

Christall Beaudry
Membership and Communications Specialist
Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership
(306) 787-7919

Joan McConnell
Marketing Co-ordinator
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 787-6154