Greenvit, a supplier specializing in Aronia berry extracts, recently posted an educational video on its YouTube channel showcasing how it harvests berries and processes them into extracts.  

Since 2010, Greenvit has been researching, cultivating, processing, and distributing the berry from its headquarters in Poland. The country’s aronia fields span 14,000 hectares, and it is estimated that Poland’s aronia crops provide an annual yield between 40,000 and 50,000 tons.

Aronia shrubs are hardy and thrive in at least eight hours of sunlight; its growing season spans from early spring, until mid-August through September when the berries are ripe and a deep purple, said Rafal Pietruszyński, CEO. “The deep dark-red color is a sign that aronia is a polyphenol-rich superfruit, and it is precisely these polyphenols and anthocyanins that make aronia one of the most valuable berries supporting health.”

Greenvit’s aronia is the Nero Eggert variety, named after its creator who spent 40 years refining and registering the cultivar. This variety has the highest polyphenol content and maximum amount of anthocyanins, and its yields are consistently robust, the company noted.

Each harvest is preceded by high-performance liquid chromatography testing in Greenvit’s laboratory to ensure the fruit has reached full ripeness and the highest levels of anthocyanins and polyphenols, the company reported.

While the berry is native to North America, Poland has become the largest producer in the world. “Thanks to long-term partnerships with local farmers, Greenvit has consistent access to premium-quality raw material,” said Pietruszyński. “We have positioned ourselves as a global leader in aronia extract through continuous investment in research, quality control, and proprietary production technology.” Aronvit, the company’s flagship aronia ingredient, is double-standardized for both anthocyanin and polyphenol content, validated through HPLC, UV, and LC-MS methods.

Aronia’s total polyphenol content exceeds that of other berries, including raspberry, blackberry, red and black currant, blueberry, cranberry, and lingonberry, Greenvit said. Clinical studies suggest that aronia supplementation may be beneficial to measures of weight management, liver function, cholesterol and blood sugar management, and prebiotic effects.