In many emerging markets, distributors prefer to start with small sample sizes. Take Indonesia, for example, it’s common to place a small trial shipment first to ensure documents and regulatory compliance clear customs smoothly before committing to larger volumes.
South Korea works differently, particularly for brands preparing to export food and beverage products to South Korea.
100kg is widely understood as the commercial threshold to establish a compliance track record with MFDS (formerly KFDA). As a result, Korean distributors often choose to order at least 100kg for their first shipment, even if its just samples.
If that initial volume passes inspection, it helps build a track record for the product and manufacturer, which over time can reduce the likelihood of repeated laboratory testing to meet MFDS food and beverage import requirements.
So, in Korea, experienced distributors often go bigger from day one. It’s not about sales testing or distributors supporting brands to enter the South Korea food and beverage market, it’s about regulatory efficiency.
If you are working with a F&B distributor in South Korea and want to ensure your export plan aligns with local regulatory expectations, get in touch with Incite to discuss how we can assist.
