Katie Reneker is the founder of Carmel Berry Company, a certified woman-owned business, based in Carmel Valley, CA, making fresh pressed elderberry goods from 100 percent American-grown elderberry and elderflowers.
Reneker has emerged as an advocate and mentor for elderberry farming in California, with grants and education for new elderberry growers’ part of the company’s mission. Reneker also offers workshops and mentorships and said she thoroughly enjoys every opportunity to be out in the fields or sharing with others her enthusiasm for elderberries. She said she never tires of advocating for this native superfruit and the folks who grow them.
Question: Carmel Berry is certified Women-owned. What is the origin of the company?
Answer: Preschool germs are where it all began for Carmel Berry Company! I learned of the immune supporting elderberry when seeking natural ways to keep my young family healthy, but all the products I could find had terrible flavor, terrible sweeteners or alarmingly low amounts of elderberry. Upon learning that native elderberries grow literally all around our Carmel Valley community, I began pressing juice from fresh elderberries and immediately realized that fresh elderberry juice makes a world of difference in quality and potency. Carmel Berry Company was born with this discovery, and now we’re proudly certified Woman-owned, with organic fresh elderberry juice as our star ingredient.
Question: The company said it is farmer focused. How is that accomplished? Why is it important to the company?
Answer: Well over 95 percent of elderberry used in the U.S. is imported, generally as dried berries or a concentrate. Our commitment to using fresh-pressed elderberry juice meant we needed to build our own supply chain. We’ve spent nearly a decade supporting hundreds of farmers with microgrants, workshops and partnering with universities on research. Today, Carmel Berry proudly has our own robust domestic elderberry farming network, and we’ve empowered farmers all over the U.S. to grow this niche crop.
Question: Carmel Berry’s elderberries are never imported. What are the advantages to that?
Answer: Sourcing from our own domestic farmers means three things: quality, transparency and potency. Fresh elderberries produce a top-notch product. We know directly the food safety and organic practices of our farmers. And we know exactly how much fresh fruit goes into our products—there is no mystery surrounding true elderberry ingredients.
Question: What is unique about your processing methods? How does that affect the final product?
Answer: Cold pressed and minimal heat are our top priorities. Imagine a huge wine press squeezing out the juice from the fruit. Now imagine the juice that’s extracted as the most brilliant bright purple liquid you’ve ever seen. This is our processing method. And while we bring our syrups to the proper temperature to ensure safety, we do not subject it to prolonged and excessive heat. This protects those phytonutrients that produce that glorious purple color and other healthy attributes.
Question: What is next for the company?
Answer: Our new Eldie Immune Gummies truly are like nothing else in the immune gummy market. The combination of potency, sourcing and truly healthy sweeteners doesn’t exist in any other brand. We intend to broaden awareness of, and interest in this truly honest immune gummy.
Question: Other comments?
Answer: I’m on an advisory board for a large research grant through the University of Missouri. Stellar research on elderberries and health (on brain, heart, diabetes and more) is ongoing. Modern scientific research is confirming many long-standing indigenous uses for this plant. I hope to see this work continue and to create more ways for both farmers and consumers to benefit from working with this tiny but mighty berry.