To say it upfront — we have never regretted that the main crop of our farm became aronia.
We didn’t switch to aronia right away—we simply didn’t have enough knowledge about this berry. Everything began in 2007 with the cultivation of elderberry, which we still grow today and harvest successfully.
It was Günther’s idea to choose aronia. In Germany, this berry is well known — it is considered a treasure trove of vitamins. Many people cultivate this fruit-bearing and decorative shrub, also known as a superfood. Near Dresden, there is a well-known farm run by farmer Jörg Holzmüller, who specializes in aronia products. Günther had heard a lot about him.
And so this berry entered our lives, and ever since, we drink 100% natural aronia juice for breakfast. For us, there is no drink more delicious or refreshing!
We have experienced firsthand that aronia is truly a “superfood,” rich in micronutrients and vitamins. It contains up to 10% natural glucose and fructose, as well as sorbitol — a natural compound that can serve as a sugar alternative for diabetics.
So we decided to gather more information about this crop and discovered that Naujene is the ideal place for growing aronia: the soil is moderately moist, and the land is located in a sunny area.
In 2017, we planted our first 500 shrubs; now we have a plantation of 5,000. We purchased the aronia seedlings from the Polish agronomist and organic farmer Paweł Eggert, who developed his own variety: medium-height shrubs with large berries. Not a single shrub failed — all of them survived!
We planted the first 2,000 shrubs in perfectly straight rows — Günther measured the spacing himself with a tape measure. Our neighbors laughed: “German standard.” Then the hilly landscape inspired us, and we began planting in a spiral from the edge of the plot toward the center — creating a “snail” of 3,000 shrubs, just like the Biolett logo.
Our aronia is sweet and juicy because we harvest at the end of September or even early October — when the berries have absorbed all the summer sunshine. We carefully harvest the berries by hand before the first frost. And juice made from such aronia tastes even better.
Every year, we are amazed by the abundance of berries hanging heavily on the shrubs — so, anyone interested is welcome to join us in the harvest!
In the next posts, we will share what helps us get through the damp and cold Latvian winter, interesting facts about aronia and the benefits of this “miracle berry,” as well as the products we offer for tasting. Stay with us — and you too will come to love aronia as much as we do!
