"Nice crunch. So juicy."
Sept. 8 at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC) in the Darling Harbour area of Sydney, Australia. A foreign visitor who came to the Korea Pavilion set up at the Fine Food Australia (FFA) trade show tasted a Korean pear and offered praise. The visitor motioned to a colleague next to them to try it, too. The colleague, taking a bite of the Korean pear, said, "This texture is a first," and asked, "What fruit is this?"
Korean pears are gaining popularity in Australia. FFA is considered one of the largest food and beverage trade shows in the Southern Hemisphere, held annually alternating between Sydney and Melbourne. Like a world's fair, it features national pavilions for countries such as China, Italy, and Spain to showcase their food cultures.
◇ Interest converges on Korean pears at the Korea Pavilion branded 'K-FOOD'
The main FFA exhibition halls were set up on the first and fourth floors of the ICC. The second and third floors hosted themed seminars. The Korea Pavilion was located on the first floor. A white sign reading "K-FOOD" on the exhibition hall ceiling signaled, "This is the Korea Pavilion." About 40 food corporations took part in the Korea Pavilion. The booths used white—the color symbolizing the "people of white clothes"—as the main color, giving an overall clean impression.
When the reporter visited, the most crowded spot in the Korea Pavilion was the promotional booth for "Korean pears." Run by Korea Pear Export Association Co., Ltd., the booth hosted pear tastings. Local buyers and general visitors flocked in, shouting "Excellent" and "Good," and heaping praise.
The positive reviews led to export deals. The Pear Export Association signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) related to exports worth 1 million Australian dollars (10 billion won) with KOFOOD, an Australian importer of Korean agricultural products. In addition, it signed pear export MOUs with a food buyer from India and a food distributor in the Brisbane area of Australia who visited the booth on site.
An Indian buyer told a representative of the Pear Export Association, "I even went to Korea to find out how to import Korean pears, but I came up empty-handed," adding, "I didn't expect to get an opportunity to import Korean pears here at Australia's FFA."
A representative of the Pear Export Association said, "Foreigners also highly value the crisp texture and abundant juice of our pears," adding, "In particular, while domestically people prefer thick, large pears as gifts, overseas there is a tendency to prefer smaller pears that are easy to eat, so domestic distribution and overseas exports can play complementary roles."
However, reduced yields and strict quarantine rules are cited as factors hindering the expansion of exports of fresh fruit, including pears. A representative of the Pear Export Association said, "Due to a poor harvest caused by a cold snap in the spring last year, domestic pear production declined and export volumes also fell sharply," adding, "Strict quarantine procedures in importing countries for fresh foods are also a problem. Even a small issue leads to a 'return' order. For fruit, whose freshness is its life, that effectively means disposal."
◇ Suhyangmi rice, hangover relief drinks, and tteokbokki are also popular among locals
Along with pears, what captured visitors' attention was Korean rice. The star was Suhyangmi Golden Queen. With a strong scorched-rice aroma, Suhyangmi divides opinions. But foreign visitors examined it with interest. A representative from the Korea Seed & Variety Service (K-Seed) booth said, "Australia has a diverse racial makeup, so a lot of foreign rice comes in," adding, "Interest in Korean rice has also risen recently, and we brought this distinctive Suhyangmi to introduce it."
According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's 2025 crop report, Australia's rice self-sufficiency rate is around 70%. Production volatility has increased recently due to climate change. The shortfall is made up by imports from major rice-growing regions such as Thailand, Vietnam, and India.
By variety, imports of aromatic rice, a long-grain type like Jasmine rice, are said to be increasing. Local officials explained that as multicultural populations grow due to proactive immigration policies and Asian cuisine becomes popular among locals, more people are seeking aromatic rice. The Korea Seed & Variety Service took these characteristics of Australia's rice market into account in bringing Korean Suhyangmi.
There was also a booth from a mid-sized beverage corporation. A representative of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical said, "I understand Australia also has many 'heavy drinkers' who drink a lot," adding, "We confirmed in preliminary market research that there is demand for hangover relief drinks, and that's why we came to this event."
In fact, in the Australian market, Grinded Pear (Gal-An Madeun Bae) is said to be in the spotlight as a hangover relief drink at Australian retail chains such as Woolworths. A representative of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical said, "The responses to Hutgae tea that you can drink like water and to jelly-stick products were not bad."
In addition, booths for processed foods such as gim (dried seaweed), tteokbokki, and frozen flounder also drew visitors and buyers. One of them was the booth of Young Poong Foods, famous for the instant tteokbokki brand "Yopokki." A representative of Young Poong Foods said, "We are already in the major distribution channels in the Australian market," adding, "It seems they prefer the spicy original tteokbokki over the less spicy rosé or black bean versions. Many overseas consumers seem to want to experience Korea's spicy flavors."
◇ A 'makgeolli' booth where tasting wasn't allowed… Some wished there had been more K-content
There were disappointments, too. Liquor company A, which came to Sydney to promote Korean alcohol, could not offer tastings on site. It had not identified Australia's alcohol-related regulations in advance.
In Australia, to serve alcohol, you must notify the administrative authorities and have staff with Retail Server Accreditation (RSA). Not knowing this information in advance, the company could only display bottles throughout the event.
Lee Byeong-eun, CEO of GLOBATRA, an importer of Korean alcohol in Australia, said, "You have to taste alcohol to know its appeal, so it was disappointing that we couldn't offer tastings," adding, "If we had known the situation earlier and received a request for support, we could have helped by dispatching staff with RSA, among other assistance."
Some also said there were too few booths offering tastings and that the use of K-content was lacking. A representative from one participating company said, "If we had cooked popular K-foods among foreigners—like bulgogi, gimbap, and japchae—in the main space and offered tastings, it would have drawn bigger crowds," adding, "It compared unfavorably with the Thailand Pavilion next door, where the main booth offered Thai dishes prepared directly by a chef."
In response, a representative of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), which organized the Korea Pavilion, said, "To hold tasting events, we need to report to the Sydney City Council as a temporary restaurant," adding, "Due to event preparation and administrative lead time, we were not able to conduct Korean food cooking and tasting events at this show."
One foreign visitor said, "I became interested in Korean culture after watching 'K-pop Demon Hunters' on Netflix," adding, "I expected to be able to try a variety of Korean foods, but there weren't many booths offering such opportunities," expressing disappointment.
aT said it has had difficulty gathering local information since closing its Australia office. Until last year, aT designated Australia as a promising market for K-food exports and ran a field office, but it pulled out this year due to budget issues. It is now overseeing the Australian market from its Jakarta, Indonesia, branch.
An aT representative said, "With K-content booming, buyers are reaching out first, saying they want to buy Korean foods," adding, "In the Australian market, too, the status of Korean foods is rising. We hope the local office can be restarted so this trend can translate into increased exports."
☞Joint project: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs · Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) · ChosunBiz