Canada’s indigenous superfruit – the “saskatoon berry” – has made its official Asian debut in S. Korea.

The debut, held at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul on Nov. 19, 2013, featured an educational seminar and a tasting event with an array of dishes prepared with the super fruit.

“Saskatoon berries are Canada’s hidden treasure when it comes to fruit with high sources of antioxidant capacity. One might say they are the purple gold of the prairie provinces, and until recently, unknown to the rest of the world,” said Sandra Purdy, president of Saskatchewan-based Prairie Berries Inc., operator of the world’s largest saskatoon berry orchard. “We are pleased to have this opportunity to have Korea learn about this wonderful fruit. I think the Korean people, with their focus on a healthy lifestyle and a keen interest in quality products, will make Korea a great test bed for introducing saskatoon berries to the region,” she added.

Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo, CEO of AgriVogue and Korea representative of Prairie Berries Inc. said: “The heightened value of improving or maintaining one’s health and leading a healthy lifestyle has been fueling nationwide interest in superfoods, and so, it couldn’t have been a better time to introduce the saskatoon berry, Canada’s representative superfruit, to quality-driven and health-minded Koreans." Yoo then added: “Also, to most Koreans, Canada is synonymous with nature, and introducing this Canadian super fruit can be a way of bringing the two cultures closer together. I’m very happy to be part of this initiative of bringing the saskatoon to Korea."

Yoo emphasized that in addition to being a health and gourmet food item, AgriVogue and Prairie Berries look forward to the saskatoon berry being popular in the fields of nutraceuticals, medicine, and cosmetics.

Guests of the debut event included buyers, food stylists, food-industry experts, journalists, media executives, Canadian government officials, and Canada Ambassador to S. Korea David Chatterson.

The saskatoon berry's Asian debut also drew Canada media coverage from the nation's major broadcasting station, CBC Radio.

Agriculture Counsellor Angela Bilkhu makes the opening remarks, highlighting the significance of the
saskatoon berry and its entry to the S. Korean market.

AgriVogue CEO Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo, S. Korean representative of Prairie Berries Inc., begins her
presentation of the saskatoon berry's super-fruit properties as reporters cover the event.

Yoo stands for a photo in between the Canadian and S. Korean flags to mark the special development in
bilateral trade and relations.

A diverse selection of desserts and edibles prepared with the saskatoon berry impressed the guests.
The delectable pies and pastry desserts were prepared by the cake and pastry stylist of Sweet Party & Cake.

A variety of Prairie Berries' gourmet saskatoon berry products on display at the event.

Guests discover and enjoy the array of dishes and desserts featuring the saskatoon berry in various forms.
The scrumptious dishes and lovely layout of the food tables were the works of Party & Cook MOIM.
The Saskatoon Berry Country Potato Salad was prepared by Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo with her favourite recipe.

The standing banner and welcoming table give guests a warm greeting to the saskatoon berry's
Asian debut event.

AgriVogue CEO Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo stands for a photo with Saskatchewan's Agriculture Deputy Minister Alanna Koch,
STEP President & CEO Lionel LaBelle (far left), and STEP Executive Director Brad Michnik (far right), at STEP's 1st Asia Trade Conference
held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, at the Hilton Garden Inn on June 27.
STEP is the acronym for Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership, the trade and investment promotion body of the province of Saskatchewan.

The Asia director of Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership (STEP) is on a five-day visit to Seoul to strengthen trade ties with South Korea.

Yi Zeng, the Asia director of trade development at STEP, said the province of Saskatchewan has embraced the ambitious goal of doubling
its total exports by 2020. He highlighted that South Korea is a promising market for this Canadian province.

"Our province's goal is to doube its exports, and South Korea is an important trade partner," Zeng told Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo,
the CEO of AgriVogue, during a meeting in Seoul today.

Zeng leaves for Osaka, Japan on Wednesday as part of his Asia market-building mission.

Yi Zeng, Asia director of STEP, and Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo of AgriVogue, pose for a photo at Yongsusan, the traditional
Korean restaurant, in downtown Seoul.

Canada Beef Inc. held a news conference in Seoul today to officially announce the appointment of Korea's first Canada Beef Ambassador,  Master Chef Woo-hyun Cho.

The designation of a Canada beef ambassador is part of the beef body's aim to raise awareness of the high quality, yet price competitiveness, of Canadian beef in the Korean market since imports of the meat resumed in March 2012 after the lifting of an import ban.

"Canadian beef is now available at all E-Mart outlets and the price is comparable to that of Australian beef," Amos (Hwan-kyu) Kim, senior director of Canada Beef Inc.'s Korea office, told reporters, industry representatives, and business executives at the news conference held at the Seoul Palace Hotel.
"With U.S. beef, we cannot compete on price, but we can compete on quality," he added. E-Mart is Korea's largest discount-store chain.

The free-trade agreement ratified between Korea and the U.S. has given American beef imports a head start in tariff reductions.
As a result, Canadian beef faces an extra 5.4 percent tariff rate as of this year, putting the average tariff burden at about 40 percent.

Officials from the Canadian Embassy in Seoul and the Alberta Representative Office were among some of the attendees.

Canada Beef Inc. is an independent national organization representing the marketing and promotion of the Canadian cattle and beef industry worldwide, according to its website.

Canada Beef Ambassador Woo-hyun Cho (second from left) shares his opinion of Canadian beef and some of the planned promotion activities
to reporters during the news conference held at the Seoul Palace Hotel.

From left to right: Amos (Hwan-kyu) Kim, senior director of Canada Beef Inc. Korea; Canada Beef Ambassador, master chef Woo-hyun Cho;
Angela Bilkhu, counsellor for agriculture & food at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul; and Won-il Chung, commercial director, Alberta Representative office in Seoul.

AgriVogue CEO Soh-jung (Lauren) Yoo poses for a photo with Amos (Hwan-kyu) Kim, senior director of Canada Beef Inc. Korea (far right),
and Philip (Young-joo) Ham, marketing & administration manager at Canada Beef Inc. Korea, after the news conference,
cooking class and tasting event with the Canada Beef Ambassador, and lunch featuring a five-course meal with Canadian food ingredients.
AgriVogue and Canada Beef Inc. Korea also collaborated to promote Canadian agri-food products at today's event.