ChilePork celebrates 10 years in the Republic of Korea with a Golf Tournament, Seminar, and Cooking Show

Chilean pork exporters celebrated 10 years of ChilePork in the Republic of Korea with various activities, including a cooking show for Korean journalists, a golf tournament, and a seminar for their business partners.

For a decade, ChilePork has been working hard to promote Chilean pork with the support of ProChile, the Chilean government’s export promotion bureau. As a result, Chile now ranks as the world’s sixth biggest pork exporter, and competes on equal terms with major world suppliers like the United States, Canada and the European Union.

The celebrations and the meeting with South Korean importers included a cooking show for local journalists, at which the famous chef Tony OH demonstrated the versatility and quality of Chilean pork. He said that it is very similar to Korean pork and so is much appreciated by Korean consumers.

Seminar and Golf Tournament

Another of the activities organized for Korean importers and Chilean exporters was the ChilePork Golf Tournament, which offered the players a relaxing opportunity to play golf together and chat, developing the close business relationship that has been built up over 10 years.

Finally a seminar was held for importers. It was inaugurated by the Chilean ambassador to South Korea, Fernando Danús, and the President of ChilePork, Juan Carlos Domínguez, who stressed the long relationship of trust and commitment that has developed with South Korea, and the challenge of making Chilean pork the product of choice of Korean families.

ChilePork’s president noted that Chilean pork exporters have managed for several years to maintain their position among the top three suppliers of South Korea, thanks to their high quality standards, a product created for the Korean consumer, and the cooperation between exporters and importers to build a long-term relationship.

“Together we have built a commercial relationship that goes beyond doing spot business, creating value on the basis of a partnership that benefits both parties, and prioritizing a win-win style which clearly differentiates us from our competitors. Another fundamental factor in consolidating this commercial relationship has been the fact that we supply a food product that is certified by the highest sanitary authority in Chile, the Livestock and Agriculture Service or SAG, which is internationally recognized for its seriousness and professionalism,” he added.

In 2016, ChilePork’s shipments to the Republic of Korea were worth US$100 million.

International speaker Brett Stuart, founding member of Global AgriTrends and consultant for various organizations, talked about the economic situation and its impact on the sector, mentioning variables such as the growth of demand in China and the impact of the new government in the USA.

The ChilePork delegation at this event consisted of ChilePork Marketing Director Soledad Valenzuela, Coexca General Manager Guillermo García, Agrosuper Export Manager John Lüer, Maxagro Commercial Manager Jorge Rozas and AASA Sales and Marketing Manager Alejandro Muñoz, as well as other representatives.

The Chilean pork industry ships 60% of its production to a range of export markets. Asia accounts for 78% of its shipments, with annual growth of 5% over the last decade: China (29%), Japan (27%) and South Korea (22%). During 2016, the volume exported rose by 2% to a record figure of 293,000 tons cwe.