Advancing American Elderberry, Issue 4
The August 2026 edition of Advancing American Elderberry highlights an American elderberry industry that is steadily moving from crop development toward commercial-scale processing, market development, and regional infrastructure.
Market forecasts continue to point toward strong growth for the broader elderberry category. Technavio projects the global elderberry market will grow by approximately $384.8 million between 2026 and 2030, representing a 7.8% compound annual growth rate. However, the newsletter cautions that most market reports combine American and European elderberry products, making it difficult to determine the actual market opportunity specifically for U.S.-grown American elderberry.
Supplements—including gummies, capsules, and liquid products—continue to dominate consumer elderberry sales, largely driven by immune-support positioning. While this established consumer awareness benefits the industry, it also presents an opportunity for American growers and processors to expand elderberry into foods, beverages, culinary products, and other value-added applications.
Post-harvest processing is another major focus of this issue. Proper and timely destemming is emphasized as a critical first step after harvest, helping maintain berry quality and prepare fruit for washing, freezing, and further processing. As production increases, efficient equipment and standardized post-harvest practices will become increasingly important for commercial growers.
Several developments also demonstrate how the industry is beginning to address the infrastructure needed beyond the farm. A new $15,000 SARE Farmer/Rancher grant in Iowa is supporting research into processing and marketing elderberry and other agroforestry crops. Meanwhile, Buehler Farms is exploring commercial opportunities for freeze-dried elderberry pulp, demonstrating how processing by-products may create additional revenue streams while reducing waste.
Demand for domestically produced berries is also becoming more visible. The Midwest Elderberry Cooperative reports projected demand exceeding 6,000 gallons of frozen organic elderberry juice this year, along with additional demand for frozen, dried, and freeze-dried berries. The cooperative is also investing in a new $100,000 processing press, another indication that commercial processing capacity is expanding.
Regional cooperation is growing as well. The newly formed Heartland American Elderberry Collaborative is bringing together growers, processors, researchers, educators, and agricultural partners in Kansas and Missouri to address processing, cold storage, transportation, distribution, and market access—the infrastructure necessary to develop a functioning agricultural supply chain.
Finally, the University of Missouri's $5.3 million USDA-funded Advancing American Elderberry project reaches the end of its current grant period in August 2026. The project has helped advance production practices, breeding, mechanized harvesting, nutritional research, processing, and consumer-demand research while building many of the relationships and tools needed for continued commercialization.
The Bigger Picture
Issue 4 illustrates an important transition for American elderberry. The conversation is increasingly moving beyond simply “How do we grow more elderberries?” toward a much larger question:
“How do we build the processing capacity, markets, infrastructure, and supply chain needed to support a sustainable American elderberry industry?”
From new processing equipment and freeze-dried products to organic juice demand, regional collaboration, and continued research, the pieces of that industry are beginning to come together.
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