[The World Enchanted by K-Food]① Tteokbokki and Ramyeon Captivating Mexican Taste Buds... "Kkomida Koreana Deliciosa"

Mexico as a Foothold for Latin America Expansion
Exports Up 42.4% from January to August
Ramen 128%·Coffee 153% Increase

Food is culture. This is because food culture embodies the history and culture of a country. Representing Korea's food culture is 'K-Food.' K-Food goes beyond mere food items and captivates the global palate through synergy effects with K-content. Furthermore, K-Food plays a significant role as an export powerhouse. The government has set this year's export target for 'K-Food Plus(+),' which encompasses agricultural products and related industries, at $13.5 billion and is fostering it as one of the top 10 strategic industries. Asia Economy explores the K-Food craze targeting the world's dining tables and seeks ways to ensure its sustainability through the project 'K-Food Captivating the World.'

"'La comida coreana es sana y deliciosa (Korean food is healthy and delicious)."

On the 6th of last month (local time) at the 'K-Food' fair held in Mexico City, Ismael, team leader of Toyo Food, a K-Food importer, evaluated K-Food's strengths as "delicious and healthy." Ismael said, "Until now, we mainly imported Japanese food and supplied it to the Mexican market, but as K-dramas became popular, consumers started seeking Korean ramen, tteokbokki, sauces, and snacks first, increasing K-Food imports." He emphasized, "Especially Mexicans who enjoy salsa like spicy food, so they have no aversion to Korean spiciness."

On the 7th of last month, visitors attending the K-Food Fair consumer experience event hosted by aT in Mexico City are tasting Korean products and taking commemorative photos. (Photo by aT)

K-Food is rapidly penetrating the dining tables of Mexicans. Curiosity about K-Food encountered through K-dramas has led to interest in Korean food culture, such as eating Korean ramen and tteokbokki and drinking soju.

Toyo Food has been importing K-Food since 2022, two years ago. Initially, they imported about 15 types of noodles, including ramen, japchae, and dangmyeon, but now they have expanded their import items to over 200, including soju, Makgeolli, aloe drinks, Pepero, as well as gochujang, ssamjang, kimchi, and tteokbokki.

The popularity of K-Food in Mexico is also confirmed by numbers. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) on the 8th, the export value of agricultural, forestry, and livestock products to Mexico from January to August this year was $37.9 million (about 50.5 billion KRW), a 42.4% ($11.27 million) increase compared to the same period last year. Although there are still about four months left this year, 88.9% of last year's annual export value of $42.63 million has already been exported. If this trend continues, this year's export value is expected to exceed $53 million. Exports of ramen and soju increased by 127.8% and 72.1%, respectively, while snacks increased by 47.1%, and coffee products by 153.2%.

The Asia On Food store located in Mexico City, visited on the 7th of last month. A dedicated K-Food ramen display stand is installed on the wall.

Reflecting the popularity of ramen, the number of marts and restaurants specializing in K-ramen is increasing in Mexico City. 'Asia On Food,' which operates eight marts in Mexico, has K-ramen as its top-selling product. Upon entering the mart, the K-ramen corner is displayed on both sides of the shelves. On the wall-mounted shelves, dozens of types of bagged ramen such as Buldak Bokkeum Myun, Jin Ramen, and Bibim Myun are displayed, while on the opposite side, cup ramen is showcased. Asia On Food has also set up a separate space on the second floor where customers can enjoy the so-called 'Hangang Ramen,' reminiscent of eating ramen by the Han River in Korea. Customers can purchase bagged ramen and bowls for 40 pesos (about 2,700 KRW) and 30 pesos (about 2,000 KRW), respectively, and taste the cooked ramen. To emphasize that it is K-ramen, Asia On Food has written Korean phrases such as 'Jal meokgesseumnida' (Thank you for the meal) and 'Annyeong' (Hello) throughout the second floor. Juridia (23), who has worked at Asia On Food for a year, said, "Among the mart customers, about 30% are Asians including Koreans, and 70% are Mexicans. About half come to the mart to buy K-Food, and the rest seem to be encountering K-ramen, drinks, and soju for the first time during their visit."

On the second floor of Asia On Food, you can cook and eat bagged ramen yourself.

Ramen shops specializing in K-ramen are also gaining popularity in Mexico City. Park Jaewon, CEO of HM&CO MEX, which has been supplying Korean food ingredients throughout Mexico since 2008, said, "To make it easy for Mexicans to access and comfortably eat Korean ramen, we operate four stores called 'Ramen Express.' K-ramen is known in Spanish as 'comida r?pida' (food that can be eaten quickly) and is always crowded with locals during lunch and dinner hours." Park plans to open five more Ramen Express stores.

K-Food can be easily found not only in Asian marts but also in large supermarkets in Mexico. Walmart, which operates about 600 stores nationwide, sells Korean ramen, instant rice, snacks, seaweed, and beverages. Especially, 'Soriana,' a large supermarket with over 800 stores in Mexico, opened a dedicated K-Food section in August this year. As K-Food's popularity increased, aT collaborated to install a separate sales stand at the entrance of the mart displaying ramen, sikhye (sweet rice drink), coffee, ginseng drinks, and soju. Alejandro (60), who visited Soriana for shopping, said, "It was difficult to access Korean products at small marts near my home, but with the dedicated K-Food section at Soriana, I plan to buy Korean ramen and ginseng drinks to try. In Mexico, there is also a 'ppalli-ppalli' (hurry-hurry) culture like in Korea, so demand for ramen is high. Especially, Korean ramen has more contents and clear ingredient labeling compared to other countries' ramen, which has increased interest in K-ramen among people around me."

The K-Food section operating since August of this year at Soriana, a large supermarket in Mexico City, visited on the 8th of last month.

Mexico, with a population of over 130 million, ranks 11th in the world by population and is considered a foothold for K-Food's entry into the Latin American market. However, the cumulative K-Food export value to Vietnam, with a population of 100.8 million, from January to August this year is $556.92 million, more than 12 times that of Mexico ($43.84 million). This indicates significant potential for expanding K-Food exports.

Accordingly, aT held an integrated K-Food fair last month in Mexico City, the first in Latin America, where 20 Korean export and distribution companies met with 46 Mexican buyers for one-on-one matching consultations, on-site consulting for exporters, and simultaneously promoted and allowed consumers to experience K-Food through B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) events. Through 210 consultations, export consultation results reached $27 million, and on-site contracts and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) worth $2 million were signed for 15 items including kimchi, tteokbokki, ramen, and citron tea.

The scene of the K-Food Fair B2B consultation held on the 6th of last month at the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City.

Kim Youngjin, head of aT's Mexico office, said, "We planned one-on-one export consultations with buyers by setting up dedicated consultation booths for each Korean exporter. Even after completing the scheduled 10 consultations per company, additional consultations were held at buyers' requests, showing great interest in K-Food among Mexican buyers. We plan to focus on Mexico, a large market in Latin America, to spread K-Food's popularity throughout the region."

Shin Heejun, CEO of U&IWON, a K-Food export company participating in the B2B consultations, said, "K-Food is already famous in Southeast Asia, making competition fierce, so we came to this K-Food fair to enter the new Latin American market, especially Mexico. Until now, we were skeptical whether K-Food like tteokbokki would work in Mexico, but this opportunity made us realize the great potential."

Following the B2B consultation, aT also held a K-Food experience promotion event for general consumers at a shopping mall in Mexico City. Consumers directly tasted and sampled products through market tests, open kitchen experiences, and more, allowing them to experience and purchase K-Food firsthand. Aurora (26), an elementary school teacher who attended the event, said, "I like kimchi stew and kimchi fried rice, and it was great to taste various kimchi, tteokbokki, and ramen at the K-Food fair. The children I teach like K-pop and K-dramas, but they don't seem to know much about K-Food yet. If opportunities to taste Korean food increase like this event, K-Food's popularity in Mexico will grow even more."