Honduras’ vice president said Wednesday it would promote its specialty and high-end coffees at the Seoul International Coffee Show at COEX in Seoul this weekend.

“The visit is part of a worldwide strategy of promoting Honduran coffee, and we are going to have samples for visitors of the show and prepared an agenda to showcase our products to local importers and roasters,” said Vice President Samuel Reyes.

Coffee importers in Korea tend to blend high-quality coffee with other kinds of beans from around the world. Honduras, the largest coffee producer in Central America, supplies 15 percent of the coffee consumed in Korea.

“We have analyzed the specialty coffee market and it’s going to grow because people are getting more sophisticated and more demanding for their coffee,” Reyes said. “Once the market demands high-quality coffee, we are sure that they will appreciate the special gourmet coffee that we are producing and since the price is quite important, that’s why we are holding this promotion.”

The promotion of coffee does not stop this weekend; Reyes is planning a big cultural week that will include a campaign to showcase high-end coffee next year as part of the 50th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations.

Honduras Week will include demonstrations, seminars and taste tests in Seoul, Busan and another city in Korea yet to be decided.

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)