'Let's make a deal' is music to the ears of all entrepreneurs and no less to two innovative B.C. producers of raw honey and organic wine attending Tuesday’s B.C.-Korea Trade and Investment Forum.

With the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) now in force, Diane Stubson is waiting to hear those sweet words which would increase her sales. Under the CKFTA, permanent duty-free in-quota access for natural honey will increase incrementally from 100 tonnes per year now to 200 tonnes in 21 years.

Over time, the CKFTA will eliminate tariffs on 87% of agricultural products including wine. This duty-free access will give these products preferential access to the Korean market and put Canada on a level playing field with Korea’s current free trade agreement partners.

Natural, raw and unpasteurized are what makes KB Honey/Western Sage Honey stand out in a crowd. Long known for its quality products (since 1884) this family-run business hopes that its Glacier honey and Bee Magic will soon make a big splash on the Korean market. The company is poised to make a huge deal with a Korean buyer.

Stubson hopes to learn more about the CKFTA and other ins and outs of doing business in Korea when she and other hopeful entrepreneurs join about 200 delegates to the B.C.-Korea Trade and Investment Forum in Burnaby.

Karnail Singh Sidhu will also be there and having recently returned from a B.C. government-sponsored agrifood business trip to Korea, he’s banking that healthy-minded Koreans will choose organic when they choose wine.

Sidhu founded Kalala Organic Estate Winery in 2006 and he now has about 100 acres of certified organic vineyards. His products are proven in the marketplace as this Okanagan winery has won numerous awards for its world-class wines over the past several years.

The B.C.-Korea Trade and Investment Forum in Burnaby on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, is the place to be for globally-minded B.C. businesses wanting to enter the Asian market.  The new Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) - Canada’s first free trade agreement in Asia - represents a stepping stone into the dynamic and growing Asian market.

Through the BC Jobs Plan, British Columbia can grow its Agrifoods sector by expanding access to priority markets such as South Korea. This gives B.C. businesses and communities of all sizes the potential for immense growth and an opportunity to strengthen local economies and provide jobs.

Watch the live webcast online starting at 9:40 a.m. on June 23: http://ow.ly/OuYkf

Quotes:

Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade -

“The Canada-Korea Free trade Agreement is a good deal for Canada and for British Columbia. We are actively engaged in promoting trade with Korea and the recent government-sponsored agrifood business delegation to the Seoul Food Show is just one example of that. The B.C.-Korea Trade and Investment Forum is our premier event and presents an opportunity for all B.C. entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with leading experts on doing business in Korea.”

Diane Stubson, owner of KB Honey/Western Sage Honey -

“We export to China, Japan, the U.S. and only a small amount to Korea at the moment. Koreans, in particular, are fond of our Glacier honey and Bee Magic. We have pure natural Kosher honey, always testing pure and clean. What’s great about our honey is that in 131 years, we’ve never given our bees antibiotics or medications. I’m really looking forward to the networking opportunities that the forum will provide and hope to find out more about Korea.

Karnail Singh Sidhu, owner of Kalala Organic Estate Winery -

“When you attend these kinds of events you learn a lot - it doesn’t matter how much you study - you always learn something new when you can have a face-to-face meeting. You have to meet people and talk to them and not just rely on email. We are currently exporting to India and China, and we are hoping to sell our ice wine in Korea as a Canadian specialty. When we went to the Seoul Food Show last month we took a variety of our wines including ice wines and we now have a hotel chain interested in our products.”

Quick Facts:

• The Canada - Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2015.
• With the CKFTA, the Government of Canada predicts that exports of goods and services to South Korea will increase by as much as 32% and boost Canadian gross domestic product by $1.7 billion annually.
• The forum will focus on the sectors where B.C. is expected to benefit the most: agrifoods and seafood, natural resources and technology.
• Since January 1, 2015, tariffs on Canadian wine, beer and spirits have already been reduced and, over time, will be completely eliminated. Tariffs for white ice wine have already been eliminated.
• Since the CKFTA came into effect in 2015, total B.C. agrifood and seafood exports to Korea increased 87% during the first quarter of 2015 relative to the same quarter in 2014 ($9.3 million to $17.4 million).
• B.C. agrifood exports increased 81% during the first quarter of 2015 relative to the same quarter in 2014 (from $8.2 to $14.8 million).
• B.C. seafood exports increased 127% during the first quarter of 2015 relative to the same quarter in 2014 (from $1.1 million to $2.6 million).

Learn More at:

To register for the Forum, or to learn more, visit: http://ow.ly/OuUfU

For the full program of exciting speakers, see: www.bc-koreaforum.ca

Learn more about B.C. trade and investment opportunities: http://www.britishcolumbia.ca/

Find out how international trade is creating new jobs in B.C.: www.bcjobsplan.ca

To find out more about the CKFTA, visit: http://ow.ly/H5rCE

Find out how international trade is creating new jobs in B.C.: www.bcjobsplan.ca

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of International Trade
250 889-3922