Midwest Elderberry Cooperative members actively farm chosen combinations of specialty crops in varied agricultural settings. Each farm is different, and about half of them produce and market their own elder berry and/or flower products. Many of the farms are certified organic, and a number of them raise heritage breeds of animals following regenerative practices. Some farms specialize in growing and marketing herbs. Some grow tree nuts along with elderberry and black currants.

American elderberries are part of agroforestry. The coop works with a number of other organizations in research projects, education, grower recruitment, planning, orchard installation, and market development of specialty crop berries on a commercial scale. In these programs services and event, the coop and our members partner with the universities of Missouri and Minnesota, Renewing the Countryside, Forever Green Initiative, Savannah Institute, Food Finance Institute and the Sustainable Farming Association and others where appropriate.

Our goal is to cooperatively develop and sell quality organic, elderberry, and other specialty berry, ingredient products with a dependable, large volume supply chain in order to compete successfully with the international imports that are primarily used in US-made healthy food and supplement products. The vision is for a decentralized network of regional crop aggregation, processing and marketing hubs utilizing the resources available locally to grow and support profitable, modest scale family farms better suited to sustainable, regenerative land management. The reduction of the high labor requirements needed to grow, harvest and process elderberries is part of that effort.