Fresh Nature Foods lines up business with Korean hospital

SPOKANE — Eastern Washington’s Fresh Nature Foods is about to make its first global footprint with several trade agreements in the South Korean market.

The Spokane-based company was very successful in its discussions during one-on-one, business-to-business meetings on a recent trade mission to Gunpo, South Korea, vice president of sales and business development Brad Overberg said.

Fresh Nature Foods established several contacts, including interest from a hospital.

“The hospital does something unique with its women and their newborn babies,” Overberg explained. “They spend 30 days learning about nutrition, eating habits and how to take care of their child. The opportunity we have is to provide our product to those moms who just gave birth to help them recoup and recover with a very nutrient-dense product. We’re excited to be able to provide a healthy, flavorful product to new moms.”

Fresh Nature Foods is the only farm in North America growing and harvesting immature green chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with its patented harvesting process. By picking them early, they are still in their fresh green state and at the peak of flavor and nutrition. Green chickpeas are rushed from the field to be washed, blanched and flash frozen, locking in their natural color, nutrition and fresh sweet flavor.

Compared to canned/dried chickpeas, immature chickpeas are lower in calories, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. It makes them a healthier alternative to the traditional dried blonde chickpea.

“Our trip was extremely productive. To be able to go over with the group from Grant County where everything was outlined and planned well in advance. We had translators with us the entire time,” Overberg said. “We got to go into Seoul with folks at their actual business. We visited the Korean International Trade Association. Getting the product in front of those folks, which are working with other Korean companies that would be a good fit for our company. It was very productive and busy. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was a great opportunity to enter into the Korean market.”

Overberg said they are off to a good start even though the timeline can be somewhere between six months to 24 months down the road.

“We have samples over there now, so they’re being reviewed,” Overberg said. “They are through analysis with some of the companies that we met with. In the United States, it takes anywhere from six to 24 months for companies and manufactures to look at the product and develop a use for it. I’m going to assume it’s going to be a 24-month road in front of us, but we’re very excited about the possibilities.”

Five business owners were part of the delegation, but they represented several other companies including Fresh Nature Foods, Cascade Mills Flour, Trinidad Lavender, Whiskey Gap Distillery, Bartelson Transport, Bowman Orchards and reACT Trainer.

Other members of the delegation included Vern Jenkins, an international trade specialist with the Washington Small Business Development Center, and Allan Peterson, an SBDC business advisor in Moses Lake.

“Developing a strong export plan can really transform a business,” said Peterson, “and it’s exciting for the SBDC to be able to walk this journey with our clients.”