Bitter aronia berry is super crop for Gwynedd farmers

Ariona fruit juice and liqueurs are already on sale locally

A North American fruit hailed as a superfood has turned out to be a successful crop for Gwynedd farmers looking to diversify.

The aronia berry, also known as the chokeberry, is high in antioxidants, which are said to be good in combating some cancers and heart disease.

The berry's potential was discovered by Mentera, an project funded by European Union Objective 1 money and run by Gwynedd council.

The project, run with the Welsh Assembly Government and Bangor University, also trialled shitake mushrooms and omega three oil crops, which have also seen some successes.

Owain Pennant Huws, from Nasareth in the Nantlle Valley, was one farmer who decided to give the aronia berries a go.

We dabbled with jams and chutneys and then we tried the liqueur which everyone seemed to like Gwilym Jones

"They've done well up here in Nasareth, by the sea in Aberdaron and in Chwilog," he said.

"They're sturdy plants, not problematic and they like quite acidic earth.

"Farmers will always go for lamb or the popular crops, but it's good to try out other things and diversify."

The Gwynedd aronia growers considered using the berries to make jams, cakes or food colouring.

But with the help of Llwyddo Yng Ngwynedd (Succeed in Gwynedd), they funded expert analysis of the berry's properties at Coleg Menai's food technology department.

"We did testing on the levels of anthocyanins so they can have something on the labels to compare with other berry products," said Steven Williams, a food technologist.

He discovered the levels of this antioxidant are 15 times higher in the aronia berry than the blueberry.

Mineral content

"We're also looking at the folic acid, vitamins and mineral content in the berries," he added.

"But the debate is ongoing with European legislation on whether companies can claim the benefits of antioxidants.

"Some have done research which show that they do help with combating some cancers, but we couldn't suggest saying that on the labels without large scale evidence."

With the college's help, the growers are producing a fruit drink called Ffrwythlon which they have started selling at local food markets.

Experiments at the college also threw up the potential to use the berries in a liqueur, an idea taken up with enthusiasm by Gwilym and Hazel Jones of Chwilog, of the Llŷn Peninsula.

"We dabbled with jams and chutneys and then we tried the liqueur which everyone seemed to like," said Mr Jones.

"It's a deep red colour, because aronia berries are also used as a natural dye. They're quite tart to the taste, but the berries and the sugar counteract each other in the process of making the liqueur."