[email protected]
www.realwisconsinginseng.com
Facebook and Instagram: realwisconsinginseng

With more than 20 years of experience in the natural products industry, Jackie Fett is passionate about promoting the value of agriculture.

She is the executive/marketing director for the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW), which is dedicated to research, education and promotion of Wisconsin-grown American ginseng. The cultivated ginseng industry is dependent on international markets. Fett is knowledgeable in GBW’s export markets, including the challenges faced in new and existing export markets, emerging market programs and international and domestic marketing programs.

During her previous 16 years with Standard Process, a Wisconsin whole food supplement manufacturer, Fett held a variety of roles in marketing, education and management. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing.

Here she discusses the history of Wisconsin ginseng, and the future of the board.

Question: Why Wisconsin ginseng?

Answer: Wisconsin ginseng is known worldwide as the purest, highest quality ginseng. Panax quinquefolius, better known as American ginseng, is a white root with medicinal properties known to relieve stress, increase stamina and increase resistance to common illnesses such as colds. Wisconsin has the ideal climate and mineral-rich soil conditions for growing the perfect ginseng root. When consumers want the best ginseng, they ask for Wisconsin ginseng; the world’s finest.

Question: What is the background and mission of the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW)?

Answer: The GBW was established in 1986 as a nonprofit organization representing all Wisconsin ginseng growers. There are approximately 70 cultivated ginseng growers in the state. The mission of the GBW is to represent Wisconsin ginseng producers as the worldwide leader of the American ginseng industry. The GBW is committed to the advertising, promotion and marketing of Wisconsin ginseng, the purest ginseng in the world.

The GBW’s objectives are accomplished through conducting research, providing education and expanding domestic and international markets. The GBW aims to improve the health and wellness of consumers and support the sustainability of the industry and the rural economy associated with it. The GBW is funded through a mandatory assessment on dry ginseng root.

The GBW is managed by an elected board of seven ginseng producers. The board functions under a marketing order managed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection. The GBW is the administrator for the Wisconsin Ginseng Seal Program. This program was developed in 1991 to protect the integrity of Wisconsin ginseng products.

Question: What is the history of ginseng in Wisconsin?

Answer: American Ginseng has been cultivated in Wisconsin, U.S., for more than 100 years, dating back to the late 1800s. Today, Wisconsin ginseng producers grow 98 percent of the total cultivated ginseng production of the United States.

During World War II, the Fromm Brothers of Hamburg, WI were the first Wisconsin farmers to grow cultivated ginseng. They used this profitable crop to fund their fur business. Since that time, central Wisconsin has been the center of United States ginseng trade.

Question: Why is Wisconsin ideal for growing ginseng?

Answer: Called the “Napa Valley of American Ginseng,” Wisconsin has cool summers, rolling hills and virgin soil to grow highly potent American ginseng. Producers in Wisconsin also have generations of growing experience. Their hard work produces the world’s highest quality cultivated ginseng.

Question: Please discuss the quality of Wisconsin ginseng.

Answer: Wisconsin ginseng is known as the highest quality Panax quinquefolius in the world. Wisconsin ginseng contains very high ginsenoside (the active ingredient) levels. Comparatively speaking, Wisconsin ginseng generally averages higher levels of ginsenoside than Panax quinquefolius grown outside of the United States. Also, Wisconsin ginseng offers the highly desired bitter-sweet taste. This unique taste gives Wisconsin ginseng the reputation of the best quality in the world.

Question: What is next for the Board?

Answer: The Ginseng Board actively travels to our markets to promote authentic Wisconsin ginseng. A delegation will be traveling to Shanghai in November to participate in two trade shows, the China International Import Expo and the FHC (Shanghai Global Food Trade Show).