Weekly USMEF Audio Report: USMEF Hosts Team of Buyers from E-Mart, Korea’s Largest Retailer...

March 30, 2010 - Last week the U.S. Meat Export Federation hosted a team of 16 meat buyers and product managers from E-Mart, South Korea’s largest retail chain, providing them with an opportunity to learn more about U.S. beef production, processing and merchandising. E-Mart, founded in 1993 as Korea’s first discount retailer, now operates more than 125 locations.

The group began its tour at the Denver headquarters of USMEF, learning about U.S. beef exports, USMEF marketing programs and global trends in beef production and consumption. They later traveled toFort Collinsfor technical presentations at the Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center (ARDEC) at Colorado State University. The team also focused on the retail sector, visiting Tony’s Meats on Broadway and Marczyk Fine Foods, two  Denver  outlets specializing in high-quality beef cuts. They also visited larger supermarkets and discount stores to view the wide range of retail meat outlets available to U.S. consumers and their different merchandising methods for beef. On the processing side, the group traveled to  Fort Morgan, Colo., for a tour of the Cargill beef plant and to Las Vegas, Nev., for a tour of the Outwest Meat Co. portion control plant.

USMEF Economist Erin Daley (left) presents an overview of global beef exports to the E-Mart team while USMEF-Korea's Elly Sung (standing, right) prepares to translate

In this translated interview, Gwang-Mo Kim, a buyer for E-Mart’s imported beef division and a first-time visitor to the United States, offers his thoughts on the group’s visit to CSU’s ARDEC facility and the specialty meat shops. Mr. Kim also discusses the recent improvement in Korean consumers’ attitudes toward U.S. beef and how this has resulted in higher sales for E-Mart. (Note: Ms. Elly Sung, USMEF-Korea’s assistant marketing manager, serves as the interview translator.)

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation ( www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.