Rise of the elderberry

Andrew Thomas has big plans for a small berry. Thomas, research assistant professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, has received a Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project Moving American Elderberry into Mainstream Production and Processing. The award is for $5,345,255 over a four-year period.

Elderberry is a native plant found all over the Midwest and eastern United States. Thomas, who has conducted elderberry research for 24 years at CAFNR’s Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center (SW-REEC) at Mount Vernon, Missouri, has found that the demand for elderberry products has increased over the last several years.

“The industry has really continued to grow, especially during Covid-19,” said Thomas. “Elderberry-based dietary supplement product sales have skyrocketed because of their well-known health benefits. Elderberry is full of antioxidants that can help boost your immune system.”