French food brands target health-conscious Koreans at Seoul showcase

Business France brought a record 19 French food and beverage brands to Food Experience 2026 in Seoul on Monday to connect with Korean importers, distributors and food service professionals. The fifth-year event highlighted products aimed at health-conscious consumers, including ginger drinks, low-sugar vegan spreads and specialty pasta. Korean buyers and chefs explored ingredients for sourcing and menu development, while culinary sessions demonstrated ways to use participating brands’ products.

Food Experience coincided with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea.

The showcase included companies from Occitania, a food-producing region in southern France, and brands already available in Korea as well as those seeking to enter the market.

Maison Pâtes Fabre presented about 50 pasta varieties, including spirulina and gluten-free options, made using traditional slow, low-temperature drying methods.

Three brand atelier sessions featured French culinary experts and chefs preparing dishes with ingredients from participating companies.

Chef Choi Min-kyu paired bottarga, or salt-cured fish roe, with aged pumpkin during an atelier session.

Published Oct 29, 2026 7:00 am KST

Food Experience 2026 draws record 19 companies

The French food and beverage exhibition Food Experience 2026 takes place at the French Embassy in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-kyoung

French food and beverage brands gathered in Seoul to court health-conscious Korean consumers, with a record 19 companies taking part in Business France’s Food Experience 2026 exhibition at the French ambassador’s residence and the Kim Chung-up Pavilion, Monday.

Now in its fifth year, Food Experience is a business-to-business event connecting French companies with Korean importers, distributors and food service industry professionals. Coinciding with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year, the event featured a record 19 brands, presenting a wide range of products, from those already available in Korea to brands yet to enter the market.

A particular focus this year was on companies from Occitania, a major food-producing region in southern France with diverse landscapes stretching from the Mediterranean coast to the Pyrenees and inland agricultural areas.

Among them was beverage brand Gopy, which showcased ginger drinks positioned as a milder alternative to Korean ginger.

"In France, it is now like a fashion," Anisa Maleck, Gopy's export manager, said. "Koreans are also health-conscious, so we thought this exhibition would be a good opportunity to introduce our products."

Another Occitanie brand hoping to reach Korean consumers is Jean Hervé, which specializes in nut-based vegan spreads.

"Koreans are familiar with sesame seeds and are very health-conscious, so we thought our low-sugar products could appeal to them," said sales director Ludovic Guillot.

French artisanal pasta brand Maison Pâtes Fabre presents its products at Food Experience 2026 at the French Embassy in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-kyoung

Though not from Occitania, French artisanal pasta brand Maison Pâtes Fabre also targeted the wellness segment, showcasing some 50 varieties, including spirulina and gluten-free options.

"We use traditional slow, low-temperature drying methods to preserve nutrients and flavor," said Maison Pâtes Fabre chairman, Julien Baucher, said.

The event was not just a venue for French companies to explore the Korean market but also was a opportunity for Korean buyers and chefs to discover French ingredients and products.

Tanzy Lee, chief marketing officer at specialty coffee brand Terarosa, said she attended the event to explore new ingredients, with the company already using French imports in many of its products.

"I came to explore and source ingredients and desserts with a French-inspired style," Lee said.

Kim Kyung-yeon, raw material sourcing manager at Lotte Wellfood, said French products remain competitive because there are customers who prefer them.

Chef Cho Won-jun of Flour Artisan Bakery, who won first place at the 2023 Le Pain Baguette Championship, considers the event a great gateway to items that can be hard to find in KOrea. This time, his interest was drawn by different cheeses and charcuterie paired with bread.

"This kind of event is rare. I'd like to attend every year to discover more varieties and experience different food."

Food Experience 2026 takes place at the French Embassy in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-kyoung

Three brand atelier sessions took place, during which French culinary experts and chefs prepared a variety of dishes using ingredients from participating brands, highlighting the unique characteristics of each product and how they could be incorporated into restaurant menus.

Chef Choi Min-kyu presented a creative dish using bottarga, or salt-cured fish roe, and pasta.

"For the atelier session, I paired bottarga with aged pumpkin. Many people associate French cuisine with high-end, expensive ingredients, but bottarga is actually more affordable than sea urchin roe," he explained, adding that the experience opened his eyes to new possibilities for French ingredients, despite his usual preference for Italian products.

Business France said the expanded lineup was designed to showcase the depth and diversity of French agricultural and food products.

"We hope the event provided an opportunity for Korean importers, distributors and food service industry professionals to explore the products firsthand and identify new opportunities for distribution partnerships and menu development," it said in a statement.

法国商务投资署（Business France）周一携创纪录的19个法国食品饮料品牌亮相首尔2026年食品体验展（Food Experience 2026），与韩国进口商、分销商和餐饮服务专业人士进行交流。此次展会已举办五年，重点展示了面向健康消费者的产品，包括姜汁饮料、低糖纯素抹酱和特色意面。韩国采购商和厨师考察了各种食材，用于采购和菜单开发，同时，烹饪课程也演示了如何使用参展品牌的产品。

美食体验活动恰逢法国和韩国建交140周年。

此次展示活动包括来自法国南部食品生产区奥克西塔尼亚的公司，以及已经在韩国销售的品牌和寻求进入韩国市场的品牌。

Maison Pâtes Fabre 展示了约 50 种意大利面，包括螺旋藻意大利面和无麸质意大利面，均采用传统的低温慢速干燥方法制成。

三场品牌工作坊活动邀请了法国烹饪专家和厨师，使用参与公司的食材烹制菜肴。

厨师崔敏奎在一次工作室课程中，将乌鱼子（盐渍鱼子）与陈年南瓜搭配在一起。

发布于2026年10月29日韩国时间上午7:00

2026年食品体验展吸引了创纪录的19家公司参展。

法国食品饮料展“Food Experience 2026”于周一在首尔西大门区的法国大使馆举行。韩国时报记者金宝京摄

周一，法国食品和饮料品牌齐聚首尔，以吸引注重健康的韩国消费者。共有创纪录的 19 家公司参加了法国商务投资署在法国大使官邸和金钟业馆举办的 2026 年食品体验展。

第五届“美食体验”活动是一项B2B盛会，旨在连接法国企业与韩国进口商、分销商和餐饮服务行业专业人士。今年恰逢两国建交140周年，活动吸引了创纪录的19个品牌参展，展示了种类繁多的产品，既有已在韩国销售的产品，也有尚未进入韩国市场的品牌。

今年的重点是来自奥克西塔尼尼亚的公司，奥克西塔尼尼亚是法国南部的主要食品生产区，拥有从地中海沿岸延伸到比利牛斯山脉和内陆农业区的多样化景观。

其中就包括饮料品牌 Gopy，该品牌主打姜汁饮料，定位为比韩国姜汁饮料口味更温和的替代品。

“在法国，这现在就像一种时尚，”Gopy的出口经理阿尼萨·马莱克说。“韩国人也很注重健康，所以我们认为这次展览是介绍我们产品的好机会。”

另一个希望打入韩国市场奥克西塔尼品牌是 Jean Hervé，该品牌专门生产以坚果为基础的纯素涂抹酱。

销售总监卢多维克·吉洛特表示：“韩国人熟悉芝麻，而且非常注重健康，所以我们认为我们的低糖产品可能会吸引他们。”

法国手工意面品牌 Maison Pâtes Fabre 周一在首尔法国大使馆举办的 2026 年食品体验展上展示了其产品。韩国时报记者 Kim Bo-kyoung 摄

虽然并非来自奥克西塔尼亚，但法国手工意大利面品牌 Maison Pâtes Fabre 也瞄准了健康市场，展示了约 50 种品种，包括螺旋藻和无麸质选项。

“我们采用传统的低温慢速干燥方法来保留营养和风味，”Maison Pâtes Fabre 董事长 Julien Baucher 说。

此次活动不仅是法国企业探索韩国市场的场所，也是韩国买家和厨师发现法国食材和产品的机会。

精品咖啡品牌 Terarosa 的首席营销官 Tanzy Lee 表示，她参加此次活动是为了探索新的原料，该公司已经在其许多产品中使用了法国进口原料。

“我来这里是为了寻找和采购具有法式风格的食材和甜点，”李说。

乐天食品公司原材料采购经理金京妍表示，法国产品仍然具有竞争力，因为有些顾客更喜欢法国产品。

Flour Artisan Bakery 的主厨 Cho Won-jun 在 2023 年 Le Pain Baguette 大赛中荣获冠军，他认为这项赛事是了解韩国一些难得一见的食材的绝佳途径。这一次，他被各种奶酪和熟食与面包的搭配所吸引。

“这种活动很少见。我希望每年都能参加，发现更多种类，体验不同的美食。”

2026年美食体验活动将于周一在首尔法国大使馆举行。韩国时报金宝京摄

举办了三场品牌研习会，法国烹饪专家和厨师使用参与品牌的食材烹制了各种菜肴，重点介绍了每种产品的独特特性以及如何将它们融入餐厅菜单中。

厨师崔敏奎用乌鱼子酱（盐渍鱼子）和意大利面制作了一道创意菜肴。

“在工作室课程中，我将乌鱼子与陈年南瓜搭配在一起。许多人认为法国菜需要高端、昂贵的食材，但乌鱼子实际上比海胆籽更实惠，”他解释说，并补充道，尽管他通常更喜欢意大利产品，但这次经历让他看到了法国食材的新可能性。

法国商务投资署表示，扩大产品阵容旨在展示法国农产品和食品的深度和多样性。

声明中表示：“我们希望此次活动能为韩国进口商、分销商和餐饮服务行业的专业人士提供一个机会，让他们能够亲身了解产品，并发现新的分销合作和菜单开发机会。”