What Is the OGGA? Checking the Buyer List

Last updated: October 15, 2026

The OGGA (Ontario Ginseng Growers Association) is the non-profit association that represents Ontario's growers of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). It publishes a public buyer list at ginsengontario.com/buyer-list, and you can check a shop by opening that list and looking for the shop's company name. A listing tells you the business is registered with the association as a buyer. It does not mean the OGGA has tested every product on the shelf. This guide explains both sides.

Who is the OGGA?

The OGGA describes itself as a non-profit organization representing the producers of North American ginseng who grow, harvest and sell the root. It says its more than 150 growers have the largest production of North American ginseng in the world. The association is based in Simcoe, in southwestern Ontario, close to farming communities such as St. Williams, Walsingham and Delhi, where it says the sandy native soils suit the crop.

On its website the OGGA says it supports research into new varieties, production methods and harvesting, and sets marketing direction for the industry as a whole. It also states plainly that it does not sell ginseng roots or set prices for its members. Growers sell their own crop, and buyers usually visit farms between September and December, after the fall harvest.

What does the "Running Root" logo mean?

The Running Root is the OGGA's seal for consumer products. In the association's words, it "ensures the product is 100% North American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), grown in native Ontario soils." On its Where to Buy page, the OGGA says retailers who put the seal on their products are authorizing them as Ontario-grown North American ginseng.

The same page sorts these retailers into two groups. Licensed Partners have the right to print the OGGA logo on their own labels. Certified Sellers are qualified retailers that the OGGA promotes and that display the Running Root seal on their products.

What is the OGGA buyer list?

The buyer list is the association's public directory of buyer members. The OGGA's introduction to the list says "Buyers register annually with the OGGA and are valued supporters of our organization's activities and communications." Each entry shows a company name and, where provided, an address, email, phone number and website.

The list is alphabetical and spread over four pages, with no search box. It includes companies in Ontario, Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, and also buyers outside the country, for example in Singapore and mainland China. The same introduction credits buyers' support for Ontario growers being "the #1 exporters of North American Ginseng in the world today."

How can you check whether a shop is on the list?

Ask the shop for its registered company name. Many shops trade under a different name from the one on their incorporation papers.
Open ginsengontario.com/buyer-list and use the page numbers at the bottom to move through the four pages. Names run alphabetically, so a name starting with F will be on an early page.
Use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to search each page for the name.
Compare the address, phone number and website in the entry with what the shop gives you.
Also check the Where to Buy page, which lists the Licensed Partners and Certified Sellers.

Because buyers register every year, look at the current list on the day you check. A screenshot from a past year is weaker evidence than the live page.

What does being on the list prove, and what does it leave open?

A listing shows that the business has registered with the OGGA as a buyer and that the association publishes its name and contact details. Combined with a Running Root seal on the package, it is the clearest public signal an ordinary shopper can find that a seller works with Ontario ginseng through the growers' own association.

A listing does not show which farm a specific root came from, how old it is, or what grade it is. The OGGA does not set prices, so a listing says nothing about whether a price is fair. It is also a registration, and the OGGA does not describe it as an inspection of each shop's stock. For a given product, you still need to ask the seller about the source and the age of the root, and look at the label. Our guide How to Buy Authentic Canadian American Ginseng covers those questions.

Where does Fosetter appear on these lists?

Fosetter (富時達商行) is a ginseng and dried-goods shop at 78 Rue De La Gauchetière Ouest in Montreal's Chinatown, run by Carmen. Our company name, Fosetter International Trading INC, is on page 2 of the OGGA buyer list. Fosetter International Trading Inc. is also listed among the Certified Sellers on the OGGA's Where to Buy page.

According to us, Fosetter was the first company in Quebec to become an OGGA member. Carmen has also explained why the shop made its own label. In her words, translated from Mandarin: "So we created our own brand, Native Ultra." Our Canadian ginseng is sold under the NATIVE ULTRA label.

If you buy whole or sliced roots from us, we provide the CITES export permit documents free of charge. The Government of Canada says whole or sliced roots need a Canadian CITES export permit to leave the country, while powders, pills, extracts, teas and confectionery do not. Our page Travelling with Ginseng explains what to bring, and the Ginseng FAQ answers other common questions.

Quick answers

Does the OGGA sell ginseng? No. The association says it does not sell roots or set prices.

Is the buyer list the same as the list of growers? No. The grower list is available to members who join as buyers. The public buyer list shows the buyers.

What Is the OGGA, and How Do You Check Its Ginseng Buyer List?