A larger showcase for Korean food in Paris

The Korea Food Industry Association plans to bring 11 leading South Korean food companies to SIAL Paris 2026, a major international food trade fair. The event is scheduled for October 17–21 at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition center in France.

Together, the companies will build an approximately 87-booth pavilion, covering 778.5 square meters. The association first introduced its ‘K-Food Leading Companies Pavilion’ at SIAL Paris 2024, presenting it as a company-focused alternative to a conventional government-led national pavilion. This year’s participation will expand both the number of companies and the size of the exhibition.

The pavilion is designed to give individual Korean brands room to stand out while presenting them together as part of a broader K-Food story.

The shared slogan, ‘THE TASTE YOU LOVE,’ and design elements inspired by the Korean flag will connect the displays. At the same time, each company plans to use its own visual identity (the colors, logos and design that help customers recognize a company or brand) to introduce its products.

Ramen, bakery and fermented flavors

The pavilion will bring together established Korean foods and products developed with international consumers in mind. Visitors can expect ramen, bakery products and traditional sauces alongside newer snacks, ready-to-eat meals and food ingredients.

  • Nongshim will spotlight its Shin Ramyun range under the concept ‘Spicy Happiness in Noodles’ and plans to unveil Shin Ramyun Rosé in Europe for the first time. The new product is intended to broaden the brand’s European lineup.
  • Samyang Foods will create an interactive space around its Buldak spicy-food brand and Tanggle products. Large displays featuring brand characters and products are intended to make the exhibit a hands-on experience rather than a simple product display.
  • SPC Samlip will present Korean bakery products—including hotteok (sweet pancakes), hoppang (steamed buns), yakgwa (honey cookies) and a yakbap burrito—under a ‘K-Atelier’ concept inspired by traditional Korean folk paintings.
  • Sempio Foods will build its display around gochujang (a fermented red-chili paste) and introduce products such as Yondu seasoning, soy sauce and gochujang. The company aims to explain Korean fermentation and jang culture, the country’s tradition of making and using fermented sauces and pastes.

These exhibits illustrate how familiar foods can serve as an entry point for consumers who may be trying Korean flavors for the first time. For example, a visitor who knows instant noodles may discover a different flavor profile through a spicy or creamy ramen, while sauces can show how fermented ingredients are used in everyday cooking.

From food ingredients to street snacks

Other participants will focus on ingredients and formats that can be adapted to different cuisines, as well as snacks already associated with the global popularity of Korean food. Several companies will also offer tastings and business meetings for buyers.

  • Daedoo Foods will draw on more than 40 years of experience making bean pastes and rice-flour products. Its display will include ingredients for food manufacturers, such as white rice flour and glutinous-rice cake sheets, as well as frozen desserts like bread made with familiar Korean root crops.
  • Young Poong will feature its YOPOKKI brand, including tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and japchae (glass noodles with vegetables). Origin Gourmet will introduce Korean-style snacks such as sweet-and-savory fried chicken and hot dogs.
  • Lotte Wellfood will organize its products as a ‘SWEET SHOP,’ bringing together confectionery, ice cream and convenient meals. Brands on display are expected to include Pepero, ZERO, Jaws Bar, Screw Bar and Chefood.
  • Binggrae will present its internationally known Melona ice bars and Samanco fish-shaped ice-cream snack, as well as Banana Flavored Milk, which it plans to introduce at the fair for the first time in Europe.
  • Harim will use its ‘Harim First Kitchen’ concept to showcase premium ramen, including The Mihisik Artisan Ramen and squid ramen, along with sauces. Tastings and buyer meetings are planned to highlight the products’ flavors and quality.
  • Ourhome will display around 150 products across three strategic categories: OntheGo meals, kimchi and sauces. Examples include Haenam seaweed pesto, seaweed snacks and a charcoal-grilled short-rib-flavored sauce.

For food companies, ingredients and ready-to-eat products can open different kinds of commercial opportunities. A flour or sauce may be incorporated into a local manufacturer’s own products, while a packaged snack or meal can be sold directly to shoppers. Presenting both types of products allows exhibitors to speak to retailers, distributors and food producers at the same event.

17 products selected for innovation recognition

The fair’s SIAL Innovation program selects products for their innovation and creativity. Seventeen products from six companies taking part in the Korean pavilion were selected, giving the group another way to draw attention beyond the size of its exhibition space.

Ourhome had six products selected, including Radish Pesto, Bibimbap Kimchi Rolls, Gentle Meal, New Wave Protein Balls, Magic Soba and a product made using tofu by-products. Magic Soba won an award in the Frozen Products category. According to the product concept described for the fair, a special technology is designed to keep the noodles cold even after microwave preparation, using a slow-melting ice concept.

Other selected products include Daedoo Foods’ three-color bean filling, Real Root Crop Bread, white rice-flour mix and chestnuts; Nongshim’s Liful Derma Collagen; Lotte Wellfood’s I’m Control Banaba Gum; and Young Poong’s halal Harissa Cup Tteokbokki. Halal products are made to meet dietary requirements followed by Muslims.

SPC Samlip’s selected products include kimchi hoppang, two mayonnaise sauces, two grain-syrup sauces and its yakbap burrito. The burrito was also chosen for SIAL Taste, a program that lets visitors sample and experience selected products at the fair.

Recognition in an innovation program can help a product stand out to buyers, but selection alone does not guarantee sales or long-term success in a new market.

Why the trade-fair setting matters

An international food fair gives companies a place to show products directly to importers, distributors, retailers and other potential business partners. Buyers can compare packaging, taste samples and ask about product formats in one visit—steps that are harder to manage through online listings alone.

The pavilion’s mix of individual brand displays and a shared Korean theme may also help companies communicate at two levels: what makes each product distinctive, and what wider food traditions it belongs to. That can be useful when introducing foods such as gochujang or rice cakes, which may be unfamiliar to some visitors, alongside globally recognizable categories such as snacks, ice cream and instant noodles.

The fair’s focus on product innovation offers another route to attention. Products designed for convenience, new flavor combinations or different ways of using familiar ingredients may appeal to buyers looking for additions to their shelves or menus. Whether interest at the exhibition turns into wider distribution will depend on factors such as local demand, pricing, regulations and companies’ ability to supply those markets.

The association’s stated goal

Korea Food Industry Association chair Park Jin-sun said the group’s participation follows South Korea’s role as a guest country at ANUGA 2025, another major international food trade fair. Park said the association wants to support companies as they turn international interest in Korean food into new business opportunities.

The planned showcase spans a broad range of products—from traditional fermented ingredients and bakery items to frozen meals and street-food-inspired snacks. The central test will be whether buyers and consumers find products that fit their tastes and needs, and whether companies can build on that first introduction after the fair ends.