Saskatoon berries, Canada’s indigenous superfruit, will soon become available to South Korean consumers for the first time.

Prairie Berries’ Saskatoon berry spread, syrup and topping as well as its dried berries will have their official market debut during the Lunar New Year holidays at Shinsegae Department Store branches in Seoul, said AgriVogue, the local representative of Prairie Berries.

“Saskatoon berries will present South Korean consumers with a new culinary taste and joyful experience of Canadian culture,” AgriVogue CEO Lauren Yoo said during a prelaunching event in Seoul on Friday.

AgriVogue on Friday opened a pop-up store at Star Super, Shinsegae’s premium supermarket branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, which will run until Jan. 29.

For the official launch next month, Sandra Purdy, president of Saskatchewan-based Prairie Berries and president of the Saskatoon Berry Council of Canada, is scheduled to visit Korea.

The Saskatoon is an age-old berry native to Canadian soil and was enjoyed by the Aboriginal peoples of Western Canada as a staple and for medicinal purposes. The berry’s name is derived from the Cree word “mis-sask-quah-too-mina,” meaning “bush,” and a word that sounds very similar to “Saskatoon.”

Prairie Berries is a premium Canadian gourmet brand at the forefront of the Saskatoon berry market in Canada.

By Suk Gee-hyun (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)