Australian Ambassador to Korea James Choi and grapes

Australian ambassador to Republic of Korea, James Choi (Left) with agriculture counsellor Jemma Martin (Image credit: Austrade)

The Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) has launched a Korean brand name for Australian Thompson seedless grapes – Tams Gold.

Working alongside the Australian trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), ATGA held the launched event at the Seoul Plaza hotel in Korea, with sixty importers, wholesalers and retailers in attendance.

The Tams Gold name comes from the combination of ‘Tams-rubba’, meaning attractive, nice and ripe, and ‘Gold’, to address the hesitation some Korean consumers have to purchase the golden-yellow Australian grapes.

Austrade said in a statement released in April that the name aims “to convey a message to Korean consumers that Australian grapes are attractive and look delicious… like the land they’re from: they’re pure, full of flavour and natural goodness you can taste in every mouthful”.

Australian ambassador to the Republic of Korea, James Choi, said that through branding and promotion, Tams Gold could be established as a leading fresh produce brand in Korea, satisfying consumer demands for fresh, premium quality grapes.

“Australia is proud to be a long-term, reliable supplier of clean, safe, high-quality food and agriculture products,” Choi said. “Korea is one of our most important export destinations for agricultural products such as fresh and sweet grapes.”

Australia ships grapes to Korea from December to April, with the import duty reducing from 45 per cent to 6 per cent this year under the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement.