U.S.: farming couple take leap of faith with Aronia berry
A bold couple in Iowa have gone from not knowing what an Aronia berry even was three years ago, to investing heavily in the fruit and providing expert advice to fellow farmers up and down the country.
Dean Mangrich first heard the name 'Aronia' when he tuned in to an agricultural radio show in March 2011, and could not shake his curiosity.
The Aronia berry, also known as the chokeberry, is native to North America and enjoys the coveted 'superfood' status due to its array of nutritional properties.
The dark purple fruit has three times the level of antioxidants than blueberries, and its vast potential medical benefits are currently the subject of widespread interest from researchers in the U.S.
After attending the Midwest Aronia Berry Association's first ever meeting, Dean and his partner Donna made up their minds to start their own production.
"A lot of people thought we were crazy because nobody had ever heard of these berries - we really didn't know what we wanted to do with them either," Dean told www.freshfruitportal.com.
With very little concrete idea of the best farming techniques, Dean and Donna spent a weekend doing a trial run of 2,400 plants in June 2011, much to the puzzlement of their neighbors.
When the couple would be asked what they were planting, their response was usually met with "the what berry?"
The phrase stuck, and Dean and Donna in fall that year planted 10,000 Aronia berry plants covering 10 acres on their "What" Berry Farm.
"Shortly after that we had a lot of people start to call us and say that were interested in it, and that's when we decided that we would really get more involved in helping people get started," Mangrich said.
"So what was originally a hobby turned out to be a fully fledged business."
Demand exceeding supply
Last August the couple took a trip to some Aronia plantations in Poland - the 'Aronia capital of the world' - where every aspect of the industry, from planting to harvesting and marketing, is well-developed.
There they learned about the best farming practices, and ordered two Aronia berry harvesters to save time on what is an extremely laborious process of planting and picking the berries by hand.
With their newfound knowledge and professional Aronia machinery, the couple now run Aronia Berry Services of Northeast Iowa, and help farmers throughout the country with their production.
"Right now we've got about 150,000 plants to put in the ground this fall if the weather cooperates, or next spring if not. So the interest level has really picked up," Dean said.
Consumer interest is also starting to gain momentum, and Dean said he believed demand currently far exceeded supply.
While most growers sell their berries to the industry marketing arm North America Aronia Cooperative, Dean said he and Donna were focusing on markets closer to home.
"We're trying to develop local markets with local shops and local grocery stores, just finding some of the niche markets," he said.
"People are now starting to learn about it and so we're also looking for end users, entrepreneurial people, food vendors to really pick it up."
The Aronia berry boasts a broad range of culinary uses, and can be eaten unprocessed, as a juice, or cooked with other foods.
"The berries have a bit of an earthy flavor, so they're quite tart. I would say 4 out of 10 people could just eat them straight out of a bowl. I personally like to make juice from it," Dean said.
"To eat the berry and to drink the juice you would not know they're from the same fruit.
"You can also take the berry after it's been juiced and put in food - bread, muffins, salads etcetera - you can put Aronia in about anything you eat."
'Nothing scientifically proven'
Despite the many ways of consuming the berries, Dean said it was the impressive nutritional benefits of the berries that were driving consumer interest.
"In Europe they've done all of their clinical trials and pretty much are convinced of the health benefits. A lot of the hospitals and research centres in the United States are doing their own clinical trials and I think they want to see for themselves," he said.
"Lots of people have told me they'd taken Aronia and have said they've dropped their cholesterol 30 points."
He added the berry also seemed to have beneficial effects on inflammation and joint aches for those with arthritis.
"I think there's a whole gamut of issues that Aronia's going to be able to help, but the jury's still out trying to figure our which ones in particular," he said.
"People say they feel better when they put Aronia in their diet. Nothing has been scientifically proven in regards to that yet, but all those tests are being done now."
The start of something big?
While the Aronia industry in the U.S. is still in its very early stages, Dean holds big expectations for the berry but emphasized the process of making it mainstream would be a gradual one.
"I think the Aronia berry business today is where the cranberry business was 30 or 40 years ago - just really developing and really getting started," he said.
"So I think the future is very bright for Aronia. But it's going to take a little bit of time for things to all come together. Some people are patient and know it takes time and some people want it to happen overnight."
Photos: Aronia Berry Services