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The Midwest Elderberry Cooperative (MEC) is a new Coalition Partner of the World Council for Health. During Better Way Today on 5 February 2024, Zoe Strickland met up with Chris Patton, a member of the Cooperative, to talk about the amazing American elderberry and efforts to grow it commercially.

Benefits of the Elderberry

Because of its numerous health benefits, elderberry has a long history of being used in natural healing. It is known to boost immunity, alleviate allergies, protect against bacterial infections, lower blood pressure, moderate digestion, help with weight loss, prevent the development of diabetes, and slow the development of cancer. It also has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, which should boost its popularity! From a nutritional point of view, elderberries are high in vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, and iron, as well as anthocyanins and other polyphenols.

Most research into the benefits of elderberry have been conducted in Europe, but in 2013 an international symposium on elderberry was held at the University of Missouri, with researchers from 17 countries delivering over 50 papers. This gathering generated a great deal of interest in potential uses of American elderberry.

A new agricultural crop

While elderberry has been cultivated for hundreds of years in Europe, it was only in 2000 that the University of Missouri started working with US farmers to develop American elderberry as a commercial crop. A benefit of cultivating elderberry is that the nutrient density of these berries is about twice those collected in the wild due to soil enrichment.

The North American elderberry grows across the continent from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic in a wide range of soils and climates. It therefore has many natural varieties and a great deal of genetic diversity, providing opportunities for the production of cultivars.

Chris hopes that elderberry cultivation will help to revive rural economies and communities, improving the quality of life of the people working the land, while providing nutrient-dense flowers and berries that have healed humanity and nature since the earliest ages.

Tune in to learn more about the elderberry, how it acts as a catalyst for better agriculture across many different farm profiles, and some of its incredible health benefits!

What is important to me is the quality of life of the people working the land, where people are valued as well as the land and the product for our customers. – Chris Patton

More About Chris Patton & the Midwest Elderberry Cooperative

• The Midwest Elderberry Cooperative (MEC) was formed in 2012, originally as the Minnesota Elderberry Cooperative, under Minnesota Statute 308B to be the organizational vehicle to assist small organic/natural farmers in elderberry production and processing in the Midwest. Their growing membership presently includes farmers from coast to coast as they develop a horizontal organization based on regional hubs that are coordinated by an integrated marketing effort to meet national demand regionally whenever possible.
• MEC is governed by a board of directors elected by its members. Its primary funding comes from sales of elderberry and flower ingredients along with some grants. Most grants are awarded to MEC members due to the structure of most USDA and state programs and importantly, following the principle that the farmers must profit first or there is no reason for a cooperative.

• Being a perennial “Third Crop”, growing native North American elderberry acts as a catalyst for better agriculture across many different farm profiles. It can help revive rural economies and communities while providing nutrient-dense flowers and berries that have healed humanity and nature since the earliest ages.

• Some of the most important health benefits of elderberries include their ability to boost immune system function, protect against bacteria and infection, slow down the spread of cancer, moderate the digestive process, prevent the development of diabetes, reduce the pain and speed associated with autoimmune diseases, help with weight loss, lower blood pressure, and alleviate allergies.

• Learn more about elderberries and the cooperative at midwest-elderberry.coop.

View all previous episodes of our live shows here.