For Immediate Release: Monday, June 29, 1998
WILDLAND ARONIA JUICE DISTRIBUTION EXPANDS TO WEST, NORTHWESTERN U.S.
San Francisco -- Aronia Berry Inc. announced that it has expanded distribution of its
WildlandŽ Aronia Berry Juice Cocktail throughout the West and Northwest, making this
healthful new beverage -- which is made from the juice of a tart, reddish-blue berry
-widely available in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and other states.
Aronia Berry Juice Cocktail now is available at Costco warehouses and in many major
supermarket chains in the West and Northwest, the first regions of the country where the
beverage can be obtained by most consumers.
"Consumers love the taste and health benefits of aronia juice, and the repeat
purchase level is very high, so we're expanding distribution of our product quickly in
Costco warehouses and in supermarkets," says Victor Gallegos, president of privately
held Aronia Berry Inc., whose Web site address is www.aronia.com.
Very seldom is a completely new type of juice from a single variety of fruit brought to
Americans, so aronia's entrance into the single-juice beverage category is attracting
consumer attention. Native to North America and now grown mainly in Europe, Aronia
melanocarpa, also is one of the most promising ingredients in the fast-growing
"functional-beverage" market.
In its sweetened form -- as in WildlandŽ Aronia Berry Juice Cocktail -- the juice of
this intensely flavored berry is delicious. It also has very high levels of biologically
active phenolic substances such as anthocyanins and flavonoids, which have positive
effects on the circulatory system; and it is a rich source of quinic acid, which many
urologists believe helps maintain a healthy urinary tract.
Aronia is being thoroughly evaluated by researchers at the University of Illinois'
Functional Foods Program. The evaluation is aimed at generating data to confirm and detail
the preliminary evidence that aronia may include compounds that specifically fight cancer
and cardiac disease, says the university's Professor David Seigler.
Many consumers prefer aronia to the juice of its deep-red but astringent-tasting
cousin, the cranberry. Thus, aronia is emerging as a healthy but pleasant-tasting
alternative to cranberry.
WildlandŽ Aronia Berry Juice Cocktail is available in a variety of sizes and in
several blends including Aronia-Raspberry, Aronia-Grape, Aronia-Strawberry, Aronia-Cherry,
and Aronia-Blueberry.
For more information, visit Wildland's Web site, www.aronia.com, or email to: info@aronia.com