Steuben County Herb Farm Thrives on Lucrative Elderberries

Matthias Reisen, owner of Healing Spirits Herb Farm close to Avoca, New York, has found the lucrative prospective of elderberries. In the course of the harvest season, which lasts about 4 weeks, Reisen picks the berries and turns them into a variety of merchandise that have gained substantial recognition in the marketplace. A single of the most common merchandise is elderberry syrup, recognized for its prospective in combating cold and flu symptoms. Elderberry merchandise, such as syrups and extracts, have come to be a booming $320 million small business, thanks to the berries’ wealthy vitamin and antioxidant content material, which several think boosts the immune method.

At Healing Spirits Apothecary, the berries are dried for about a week just before becoming transformed into the a variety of merchandise readily available for sale. Andrea Reisen, Matthias’ wife, is mainly accountable for producing the mixtures. She highlights that people today not only obtain elderberry merchandise for their well being added benefits but also for the nostalgia linked with them. Elderberry treatments have been passed down by way of generations, and several people really feel a connection to their ancestors by way of their use.

The demand for elderberry merchandise knowledgeable a surge in the course of the pandemic, prompting the Reisens to plant extra elderberry bushes every single year to preserve up. Nonetheless, their motivation behind their small business is not solely monetary. Andrea Reisen, referring to herself as a caregiver, emphasizes her enjoyment in taking care of other people, no matter if they are her personal kids or prospects in search of the added benefits of elderberries. She is glad that far more people today are discovering the magic of elderberries and hopes that this newfound awareness will continue to develop.