Three limited-edition products sold at 5 stores in LA and New York through Nov. 30

CJ Foodville's overseas retail network tapped to boost Korean grape consumption

Customers at a Tous les Jours store in the United States hold bakery products made with Korean shine muscat grapes. [Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation]
Customers at a Tous les Jours store in the United States hold bakery products made with Korean shine muscat grapes. [Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation]

Korean shine muscat grapes have made their way into American bakeries — as cakes and croissants. Tous les Jours stores on both the East and West coasts of the United States are now carrying three new limited-edition products made with the Korean variety, targeting local consumers.

The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, known as aT, said Monday it is running a Korean shine muscat export promotion at five Tous les Jours stores in the United States from Thursday through Nov. 30, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, CJ Foodville and the Korea Grape Export Association.

The participating stores are three locations near Los Angeles — Cerritos, Brea and La Habra — and two in New York: Madison Square Park and Union.

Tous les Jours developed three seasonal limited-edition products for the promotion using Korean shine muscat grapes: the Shine Muscat Paradise Cake, the Shine Muscat Yogurt Croissant and the Shine Muscat Vanilla Danish.

Customers who spend above a set amount during the promotion will receive fresh shine muscat grapes. The event is designed to draw consumers who discover Korean grapes through the bakery products toward purchasing the fresh fruit.

The initiative combines the overseas retail network of a major conglomerate with the supply capabilities of a domestic export organization. CJ Foodville handles product development, store operations and marketing, while the Korea Grape Export Association supplies the shine muscat grapes. aT supports local procurement and event operations through its Los Angeles and New York offices.

Korean grape exports have been rising. Cumulative export revenue through September reached $56 million, up 55 percent from the same period last year.

The government and aT plan to use the promotion to secure new distribution channels for Korean grapes in the United States and push for further export expansion.

"Having American consumers taste Korean shine muscat at the bakeries they visit every day is a meaningful starting point for K-grapes entering the daily lives of local people," said Jeon Gi-chan, aT's director of export food affairs. "We will expand collaborative marketing tied to our companies' overseas retail networks to actively support the establishment of fresh agricultural products in the US market."


adastra@heraldcorp.com