2024 Gwangju Food Fair: A Review
By Grace Chun
As I waited outside the Kim Daejung Convention Center for my friend, it was quiet. A few exhibitors were hustling to finish setting up their booths. It was the first day of the 2024 Gwangju Food Fair, and I arrived right at the opening. With 300 exhibitors, 450 booths, and an expected 20,000 attendees, I wanted to beat the crowd.
This event started 19 years ago, bringing together all kinds of businesses related to the food industry to network, showcase, and market products every fall. If you register in advance, entrance is free. If not, it is only 5,000 won. While I have lived in Gwangju for almost three years now, this was my first time to attend the fair. I went with high hopes of free samples.
The booths and exhibitors were grouped into seven categories: farm and seafood products, food tech, desserts and beverages, health functional foods, processed foods and frozen foods, industrial machinery and equipment, and smart farming. I made a beeline for the dessert and beverages area because I had skipped breakfast and gladly welcomed a snack.
I happily tried samples of orange juice, milk tea, rice cakes, and soft serve ice cream as my friend and I slowly made our way around the booths. There were surprisingly several Chinese vendors in the international booths section, but they did not speak English or Korean, so it was a bit challenging to communicate with them. Regardless, I gladly tried their samples of tea.
As time passed, more and more people arrived at the fair, increasing the buzz in the air. Towards the center of the convention center, there were sitting areas where attendees could rest and enjoy a bite to eat.
In the far back corner, all kinds of baked goods from elaborate cakes to loaves of bread were displayed, several receiving awards. High school students participated in a baking contest, and several were there to assist attendees in decorating their own cakes that they could buy. As the fair was just a couple weeks before Halloween, seeing Halloween-themed baked goods brought me lots of joy. The craftsmanship of the baked goods was astounding.
One vendor, called Samjung Yaksun Cha (삼정약선차), let us sample his two teas: gugija-cha (구기자차, wolfberry tea) and sansuyu-cha (산수유차, cornus fruit tea). After receiving great feedback on his products at another food event in Seoul, he has continued to share his teas at different food events like the Gwangju Food Fair. His eyes lit up as he expressed the amount of effort and care he put into perfecting his teas. Passion and excitement for the products seemed to be a common sentiment here, and it was exciting to be around.
In the food tech and agritech area, I came across a company called Re:Harvest (www.reharvestshop.com), Korea’s first and largest food upcycling company. They upcycle food by-products generated from the food manufacturing process into eco-friendly raw ingredients and nutritious food products. I got to keep one of their products, a wet wipe made entirely out of upcycled food. I found their innovative and creative approach in finding use for by-products inspiring.
I briefly passed by the machinery and equipment section where they had up-and-running machines mixing a type of tomato paste. Seeing these machines helped me realize that there are so many aspects to the food industry that I never considered, like these machines. Attending the food fair exposed me to the many different parts of the food industry working together for me to enjoy my favorite foods.
The last section I explored was the clothing section. Modern interpretations of the traditional Korean hanbok (한복) have caught my attention in the past couple of years, and there were several booths that showcased beautiful traditional clothes. I particularly admired the work of Korean Natural Dyeing SUM (한국천연염색 숨), where they use natural dyes to color their clothing fabrics. Their cheollik (철릭) dresses with hangeul print were stunning. Not only do they create beautiful clothes with innovative methods, they also run a cultural space to teach their craft (http://www.koreasum.co.kr/).
Even though my friend and I made several laps around the entire convention center, we would find new booths that piqued our interest with each lap.
After enjoying our shawarma wraps from the Turkish vendor, my friend and I parted ways. Overall, I found the Gwangju Food Fair a great place to explore with friends and learn more about interesting companies and products in the food world. I saw a wide variety of people exploring and enjoying the fair, demonstrating that it really is an event that can be enjoyed by everyone. Many of the products sold looked great as gifts with beautiful packaging. I will definitely be attending next year. It’s worth it even just for the shawarma wrap.
The Author
Grace Chun (전유리) has lived in Gwangju since 2022. She enjoys farming with her dad, taking film photos, and running. Instagram: @gyc_photo