Technically, from a botanical perspective, the blackberry is not an actual berry, but an aggregate or compound fruit similar to raspberries that grow in clusters or drupelets. The berries can be dark red, yellow or black and are a favorite of amateur fruit pickers and are delicious raw, right from the bush.

Various species of blackberry were well known by our distant ancestors. They would typically grow their small, shiny black fruit at forest margins and in tall grass. Blackberries can be found from tropical East Africa and down to the Cape. They are also native to an area that stretches across Europe and Asia. When settlers arrived in North America, they found species of blackberry there as well.

Blackberries have a very short shelf life, they are liable to damage in transport and handling, and the plant can be subject to quite a few diseases. When conditions are good, they are very productive, and well suited to 'commoditization' as a frozen or pulp product for use in other manufactured 'foods'. Fresh market berries are consequently relatively expensive, and have a short season.

Blackberries are very rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin A and are a good source of dietary fiber. At 21 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, fresh blackberries are a very good source of vitamin C. A typical portion of blackberry would deliver an adult about a fifth (20%) of their daily minimal needs; at the same time it delivers nearly 10% of an adults daily folate (B complex, folic acid) needs.

Encore Fruit Marketing can provide an excellent source of blackberry juice concentrate to help consumer products deliver one of the 5 A Day fruit servings.

Blackberry juice concentrate is carefully processed from fresh, ripened blackberries to provide the essential nutrition and color, in a convenient, ready to use ingredient form for processed beverage and food applications. Blackberry juice concentrate is an excellent ingredient to add a fruit serving to your retail label for beverages, cakes, pies, pastries, sauces, jellies and other processed foods like nutrition bars and snacks.