What better way to find a new market than to just go there? Last week a group of Korean breeders went to the Netherlands to promote their products at Greentech.
Lee Jinseong, of the Korea Seed & Variety Service, Kim van Rijssen of Plantipp and Charlie Jeong of Wonwoo Trading.
They were joined by a special department of the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: the Korea Seed & Variety Service. For some of the breeders, it was the first approach to the European market, others have been there before.
The first step for a breeder to 
expand to new markets is to find out how your product is doing in another climate. Charlie Jeong of Wonwoo Trading is one of the breeders who has some experience about this. Last year he was with breeder G-rose at the IFTF. They visited Dutch grower Van der Hulst kwekerijen who is growing their cut rose variety Bounty Way. “That was a big step for us. The Netherlands is a premium country when it comes to floriculture. The success of the Bounty Way in the Netherlands encouraged other Korean breeders to take the same step and go abroad.”
The Echeveria Pink Dragon has been tested in the Netherlands.
The breeders of the Korean Seed & Variety not only brought cut roses to the show, but they also had lilies and hydrangeas. The vegetable breeders were also well represented with peppers, cabbage, kohlrabi.
And then there were pot plants. “This Echeveria Pink Dragon has been tested in the Netherlands. The breeder, Park Woo Hyeok, has recently signed a trial agreement with Plantipp. Moreover, the crassula ovata trial will expand worldwide through Plantipp.”
For more information:
Korean Seed & Variety Service
Tel : +82-54-912-0119
www.seed.go.kr
Wonwoo Trading
Charlie Jeong
Tel: 82.31.813.5355
Fax: 82.31.813.5356
Mobile: 82.10.4871.3653
E-mail: wonwootrading@msn.com