The change has been largely brought about through bringing influential South Korean physicians of traditional medicine to NZ said Rhys Griffiths, Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) velvet marketing services manager.
“This has improved the perception of the quality of NZ velvet.”
All practitioners of oriental medicine in South Korea must belong to the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine (AKOM). Membership is over 20,000 and the association has wide reaching influence.
Over half of the velvet products they prescribe to patients are sourced from NZ. Velvet is the cornerstone of yang (used as a heating element) and is often prescribed during winter.
In the winter of 2011 two members of AKOM were invited to NZ by DINZ. Griffiths said that the visitors did not realise that NZ was a cold climate country. They were impressed with the mountains and green pastures and realised NZ was well suited for growing deer velvet.
“They went on to farms in Otago and appreciated the natural environment – they understood the story of our velvet.”
On returning to Korea articles were published in AKON newsletters and so many more practitioners heard about NZ velvet.
“They are, and will remain, a very important client group for traditional uses of velvet,” Griffiths said,
Griffiths was scheduled to meet with AKOM members when he visited South Korea last month.
