Customers check KGC red ginseng products at a pharmacy in the United Arab Emirates. Photo courtesy of KGC

Korean ginseng brand holds conference in Middle Eeast

Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC) announced on Aug. 9 that it had recently held a conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attract customers there.

Pharmacists, who sell KGC products in the Middle East country, took part in the second edition of the annual event.

Unlike South Korea, which has a dedicated distribution chain for selling ginseng products, Arabic clients typically purchase them in pharmacies.

Hence, educational sessions for pharmacists are indispensable there, according to KGC.

“The UAE is a hub of the entire Middle East areas as it spearheads the consumption trend of the region. Accordingly, KGC has put forth great efforts to set up a foothold in the UAE,” a KGC official said.

Since the UAE government approved ginseng extracts as a functional health food in 2020, KGC has tried to make its presence felt in the country.

Such attempts worked as its 2021 ginseng shipments to the UAE and other Middle East nations jumped five-fold compared to 2020.

Currently, KGC items are available in more than 200 drugstores in such UAE chains as Boots and Medicina. In particular, some 50 stores have dedicated counters for KGC ginseng sales.

KGC said that Hong Sam Jeong was the most popular in the UAE. It’s made of extracts from Korea’s six-year red ginsengs, which are known to help boost immune system.

The Hong Sam Won brand, which is a caffeine-free energizing wellness drink, is the second-most popular, followed by a health drink, which combines red ginseng with pomegranate.

“Amid the virus pandemic, people in the Middle East areas love red ginseng products as they boost immunity and stamina,” the KGC official said.

“We will keep attempting to make global customers love red ginseng products so that they will become a representative item of South Korea.”
이 기사를 공유합니다
Copyright © The Korea News Plus