Reneker was surprised to learn that elderberries grew near her home on California’s central coast. She began to forage for Western blue elderberries and make syrup at home. The difference between her product and the store-bought ones was stark, inspiring her to launch Carmel Berry as a cottage food operator, which permitted her to produce elderberry products at home and sell them locally. But she ran into a roadblock.
“You can’t just pick off the side of the road once you’re an actual business,” she said. “And there weren’t any farms that could meet the demand.”
To encourage farmers and grow a supply chain for Western blue elderberries, she began to convene groups of interested growers for workshops, attracting hundreds of people from across the country. Blue elderberries are adapted to the hotter and drier western climate, making them attractive for farmers looking to diversify with drought-tolerant crops.
But the lack of research into growing blue elderberries worries farmers nervous about trying a new crop. Blue elderberry is functionally still a wild plant, without the consistency that comes from research and development. As a result, Reneker can source some elderflowers from local blue elderberry plants, but still largely relies on Midwest growers for her berry supply.
Federal Budget Cuts Stall Elderberry Project
One initiative that could have bridged the knowledge gap and built supply and demand for blue elderberries is The Elderberry Project, spearheaded by the Santa Barbara nonprofit White Buffalo Land Trust.
“Elderberries have been cultivated for over 10,000 years by Indigenous communities just here in our region,” said Jesse Smith, the land trust’s director of land stewardship. “Combine that with the market growth over the last five years in particular, and we felt like it was such an important thing for us to explore,” he added, saying that the project’s goal was to also include Native people in its efforts.
“Elderberries have been cultivated for over 10,000 years by Indigenous communities just here in our region. Combine that with the market growth over the last five years in particular, and we felt like it was such an important thing for us to explore.”
It partnered with the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office, which planned to supply elderberries grown in its native plant nursery and incorporate workforce development for the tribal community. The project aimed to help small producers learn to cultivate the crop, install a processing facility, and grow market appetite from businesses. Another partner, the U.C. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, conducted initial research into the agricultural potential of blue elderberries.
In April, a sudden cut to the project’s five-year, $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Partnerships in Climate Smart Commodities Program slowed its momentum.
“We’ve laid all the groundwork,” said Lauren Tucker, who is leading market development for the project. “We were literally just about to make the equipment order, which kickstarts the whole marketplace.”
The USDA is reviewing existing projects based on new criteria and continuing funding for qualifying projects under a new name, the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative. For now, Tucker is trying to think creatively about how to fill the funding gap while resubmitting updated project plans for USDA review.
“It doesn’t kill the project, but it really changes things,” she said.
A Midwest Berry Boomlet
While efforts to build a market around Western blue elderberries are just beginning, the Midwest is better established. Missouri is at the forefront of domestic production of the American elderberry, albeit with only 400 acres estimated in cultivation. The state got a head start three decades ago, mostly due to the interest of a small group at the University of Missouri, including horticultural researcher Andrew Thomas.
“There’s a group in Kansas that was making, and still makes, really good elderberry wine,” he said, referring to Wyldewood Cellars, a winery outside of Wichita. Since they were collecting elderberries from ditches and along fencelines on the family’s 1,000-acre ranch, there was no quality control or consistency, Thomas said. But the product was good, and “some light bulbs went on.”
Thomas began collecting and planting wild American elderberries to investigate improved cultivars. Farmers immediately took notice. “It just kind of grew and grew, and very quickly went way beyond wine,” he said, as producers began experimenting with juices, syrups, and health supplements.
Producer interest propelled Thomas’s project forward. In 2021, his research on developing elderberry production and processing received a $5.3 million USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant. The ongoing project includes developing cultivars, researching growing regions, exploring mechanical harvesting, and researching processing and market potential.
Many farmers who grow elderberries to diversify their farms aren’t so sure about ramping up beyond a niche crop.
A small system of processors has sprung up in the area, each drawing from a network of local farms. Thomas said there is also discussion about going big with regional hubs and centralized processing facilities. The market for natural food coloring may be poised to grow further as Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to eliminate artificial dyes from the nation’s food supply, which could lead to even more demand for elderberries.
