Raw material produced in China: What is the seasonal nature of ginseng and royal jelly?

Published On:
January 07, 2020

Discover how Natural Origins addresses issues related to the sourcing of 2 emblematic raw materials of the nutraceutical industry in this article: ginseng and royal jelly.

Now let’s take off for China so we can show you how supply chains are set up to respond to the needs of our clients throughout the year.

 

 

Sourcing of Ginseng and seasonality

 

Ginseng sourcing faces two main issues:
1. The availability
2. The quality

 

1. Availability

 

The Chinese domestic market is in high demand for Ginseng, so it is oftentimes difficult to  procure supplies since export volumes are limited.

To deal with this problem, Natural Origins has set up supply chains in collaboration with trustworthy farmers. We work with producers from the province of Jilin, where ginseng is harvested between mid-August and mid-October.  

We anticipate the market’s need by setting up multiannual contracts with our supply chains. We are committed to buying the harvest regardless of our customers’ demands.

Discover the solutions put in place by Natural Origins to answer seasonality issues.

Our strong commitment enables us to ensure a certain volume and to have available stock throughout the year.

 

2. Quality

 

Before being harvested, the ginseng root must stay 4 to 6 years in the ground as it needs to have time to concentrate all the nutrients in the soil.

That is to say that the choice of sustainable farming is key to ensuring the quality of your botanical ingredient.

We are committed, through our supply chains, to the origin of the raw material while working in long-term partnerships with local players and by regularly undertaking missions in the field.

We ensure the quality of the batches with systematic controls and we guarantee the contents of ginsenosides.

 

Royal jelly: sourcing and seasonality

 

Like Ginseng, royal jelly sourcing faces two main issues:
1. The availability
2. The quality

 

1. Availability

 

The first problem with hive products and thus royal jelly, lies with the overall losses in bee colonies.

At Natural Origins, we have identified reliable partners who will be able to maintain our stock over the year. The organic product range comes from the province of Jilin.

The harvest season is from May to the end of September from hives located in preserved areas.

The conventional grade comes from the province of Zhejiang, where harvesting is done from March to October.

How to choose a quality royal jelly? All answers are in our ebook!

 

2. Quality

 

We have chosen groupings of beekeepers based on the attention they pay to the bees’ living conditions.

The hives for the organic grade are located in preserved areas, far from large cities and industrial zones. This environment is conducive to bee development and is monitored on a regular basis.

As we are very demanding in terms of the quality of the batches, we have set up in-depth monitoring of the royal jelly characteristics to be able to offer you a product answering the highest quality and safety standards on the market.

Discover our royal jelly range.

We ensure that the hives have not been treated and that there is an absence of contaminants (antibiotics, pesticides and other endocrine disrupters). We check that no adulteration with exogeneous sugars has occurred and that the bees have been nourished naturally with pollen, nectar and honey.  

 

To go even farther...

 

We can also set up specific supply chains to adjust perfectly with your objectives, whether they are qualitative (for example further in-depth analyses above and beyond the official samples) or ethical (by carrying out support actions with the local populations).

For that, feel free to contact us!

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Nadine Bromberger

Nadine Bromberger

Purchasing Manager

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