US Wheat Building Baking Legacies in South Korea

A U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board team of five wheat farmers, including Kansas producer Chris Tanner, traveled to South Korea and Taiwan in March to better understand how U.S. wheat performs in key export markets. Representing multiple state and national wheat organizations, the group received market briefings in Portland, Oregon, before heading overseas, reinforcing how dependent U.S. wheat is on strong, consistent demand from international buyers.

South Korea is a premium, quality-driven customer, importing a significant share of its food supply while increasing wheat consumption through a growing bakery and noodle market. With the United States holding about 47% of Korea’s milling wheat market and 1.85 million metric tons purchased as of March 2026, that demand is backed by strict quality standards, rigorous inspection systems and a willingness to pay for consistent performance from U.S. wheat.

Building Baking Legacies in South Korea

Beyond instant noodles, the Korean bakery sector is also thriving. In between official visits, the team explored a premium food hall underneath the Hyundai building and the more economical E-mart, providing a perspective on the different trends, pop-up shops and stores using U.S. wheat to make bakery products from instant noodles to fancy desserts to fast food pop-ups like Five Guys. 

The origins of many of these products can be traced to the Korea Baking School (KBS), founded in May 1972 as a confectionery school. U.S. Wheat has supported the KBS since October 1972, including sponsoring the printing of the school’s first training manual. Since that time, U.S. Wheat has continued, along with its state wheat commission members, to provide support through participation in courses, donations of equipment like Hobart mixers and an oven suited for natural fermentation baking (sourdough) and donating wheat flour. Today, the KBS has 300 graduates per year, and its courses vary from three months to one year to weekend courses.

At the KBS, the team met students currently enrolled in courses, including a year-long baking course and a group of aspiring American bakers (including a Harvard student) working to open a Korean-style bakery in Los Angeles. 

“Going through the KBS and seeing the long legacy that U.S. What has had there, I was proud to see the equipment and the donations that our checkoff dollars have made possible to help people learn how to use our products and have the tools to do so successfully,” said Kansas farmer Chris Tanner, who also serves as the treasurer of the National Association of Wheat Growers and the president of the Kansas Wheat Growers. “As a producer in the field, I enjoyed seeing how the products that we raise are desired and wanted and how they perform. Putting seeds in the ground in Kansas to a meal on a plate halfway around the world, seeing the whole process inside and out was rewarding.” 

USW Board Team Reflects on South Korean Commitment to U.S. Wheat

As the first half of their mission drew to a close, the team reflected on the logistics, technical and personal relationships required to keep wheat moving from their home elevators to noodle plants and bakeries in Seoul. For these farmers, the trip was more than educational; it was a reminder of the global demand for the quality wheat they strive to grow each year. 

“Our customers across the globe are very important to us, and we definitely want to keep that relationship open,” North Dakota farmer Glendon Slaubaugh said. “I learned all the hard work that goes into the trade we do. It’s really eye-opening how much work it really takes to keep trade going. I knew it took a lot, but it always blows me away how much work it actually takes.” 

The journey continues for the 2026 USW North Asia Board Team as they head across the East China Sea to Taiwan. Stay tuned to USW's Wheat Letter for details on the second half of their mission. 

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Written by Julia Debes for US Wheat