Iprona controls a vertically integrated European supply chain

At IPRONA, we pride ourselves not just on the unparalleled quality of our berries, but also on
our business ethics and on keeping a close eye on our environmental impact as suppliers.

Because the supply chain is fully controlled by IPRONA, including storage and pre-processing, we embrace the
implementation of full traceability that allows a finished extract to be precisely tracked back to its farm of origin.

European supply chain

Place of origin

An area known as the ‘Green Heart’ of southeast Austria is home to the Styrian Berry Cooperative, proud creators of the largest black elderberry (Sambucus nigra, L) cultivation on earth.

These special berries, which grow in one of Austria’s sunniest and most fertile regions, are then transported to northern Italy for the final steps, transforming nature’s treasure through an exclusive technology into a one-of-a-kind ingredient.

The cooperative

Since the cooperative’s founding in 1962, our experienced farmers have collaborated with leading academic researchers and berry-growing experts to identify best practices with the potential to further strengthen key characteristics of our fruit. From a modest first harvest in 1976, they have flourished into an organization of 250 contract farmers that now harvest over 8,000 tons of stellar elderberries each year.

Vertical supply chain

Our fully controlled supply chain incorporates all the steps from growing a raw material - including the use of pesticides and fungicides - to creating and selling a product. In this way, we have gained important knowledge about the product and its marketability, helping us offer higher-quality products to our partners.

Traceability

Because the supply chain is fully controlled by IPRONA, including storage and pre-processing, we embrace the implementation of full traceability that allows a finished extract to be precisely tracked back to its farm of origin, guaranteeing complete transparency.

Global player

Export is our daily business. As IPRONA sells over 85 percent of its products abroad, it is our goal to offer products that can serve a global market. For this reason, we strive to develop products that conform to the strictest regulations, putting our products under severe controls regarding pesticides, heavy metals and much more.

Sustainability

Our supply chain is purely European and fully controlled by IPRONA. In this way, we can guarantee not only highest quality, but also short transportation routes and a transparent and sustainable handling of the whole process.

Additionally, IPRONA is certified fully to ISO 14001, the voluntary international standard that specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system.

Though the berry treatment requirements of the US FDA, EU and Asian guidelines are not identical,
IPRONA is committed to meeting or exceeding the regulations of all countries in which we do business.

Additionally, IPRONA is certified fully to ISO 14001, the voluntary international standard that specifies requirements
for an effective environmental management system.

FROM FIELD TO SHELF

A FULLY CONTROLLED EUROPEAN SUPPLY CHAIN