Ginseng root has been valued for centuries for its purported medicinal properties, which include stress reduction, increased energy, lower cholesterol, enhanced relaxation and even improved sexual performance. Some of the best ginseng root in the world comes from the USA, and China is by far the biggest market.
This represented a great opportunity for Baumann Farms, one of the leading growers of American ginseng root. However, they were concerned about the risk of counterfeiting diluting their brand equity and eroding consumer confidence in their product. They needed to find a way to prove that every packet of Baumann American ginseng root was the real deal.
HP Indigo provided a security printing solution by adding Micro focus variable codes to each package of ginseng. A HP Indigo 20000 digital printing press was used to create and print a unique QR code and guilloché symbol on every package. Guilloché is an intricate decorative technique using repeated patterns of very fine lines, and is often seen on bank notes – precisely because it is so hard to duplicate.
Using their smartphones, ginseng fans could verify their purchase. A guilloché pattern would appear on their phone, and if it matched the design on the ginseng package, then they were buying the genuine article.
With the protection provided by HP Indigo security printing, Baumann Farms could be confident of growing their ginseng business in China.
