For centuries the elderberry shrub has been transformed into everything from cold remedies to cordial.
Paul and Karen van Huizen sell their elderberry products at farmers markets, and are eager to grow the Australian market.Today elderberry can be found in everything from cordial to cosmetics due to its high levels of anthocyanins — the antioxidants which give the berries their intense purple pigment.
"Whereas the Europeans and the Scandinavians will flock to us, often using their country's traditional name for it, such asThe van Huizens themselves discovered elderberries by chance. According to the University of Missouri, the global elderberry market is worth an estimated $US320 million per year."The global industry is supposed to grow by $US264 million in the next five years," she said."So it's a huge market, and I'm wondering how can we tap into that."Anthony Jacobs, from Elderberry Australia — an initiative of sustainable ingredient supplier Green Blue Health — says the vast majority of those products come from Europe.
"Anytime I find one I'll give them a call, and I'm working with one or two to see how we might build the industry." "And in the US they've developed machinery to process 100 kilograms in an hour, because otherwise it would be too expensive and unviable."Ms van Huizen — whose day job is in emergency management — says this makes elderberry a promising diversification option for Australian producers.