There is great potential in the Kootenay region for growing and processing native BC hawthorn for the natural health products market.
Botanicals used in natural health products are usually sourced from Asia and Europe. For local growers to compete, they need to provide raw material comparable to the imported varieties in both volume and quality.
Since 2004, the Naturally Grown Herb and Spice Producers' Co-operative, or HerbPro, conducted growing trials to determine optimal agroforestry management practices for hawthorn. Leaves, flowers and berries from the trial trees (along with native hawthorn samples) underwent chemical analysis at the BC Institute of Technology and several food prototypes have been created, including juice, syrup and teas.
The trial results show that hawthorn seems to thrive in heavier soil types and moisture that is typical of BC, says Jeanette Lee, president of HerbPro. "Berry production normally takes eight years. The growing trials found that in BC, the plants start producing after about five or six years. This means the growing environment is well-suited to hawthorn."
Although market-ready products are many years off, HerbPro is preparing to carry out a full-scale market analysis, launch a campaign to attract more hawthorn growers and establish processing facilities in the region.
Lee says that without the funding, this project would have remained a mere idea. "The support was tremendous. It really helped us think more strategically and feel more confident going forward with the next steps."
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Funding: provided through the Agri-Food Futures Fund, Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative and Agri-Food Futures Fund, Health Products and Functional Foods Initiative. (AF013 04-07 and AF004-057)
From the Fall 2011 edition of Growing Tomorrow, newsletter from the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia (www.iafbc.ca)
BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative Archive