I first tried Yumberry juice, the new commercial nickname for the Yang Mei berry, a few years ago at the NY Fancy Food Show where it was being showcased for the first time. I have tried to contact the company in China since then to find out more, but never could connect with them. So I was excited to hear about this tasty juice coming onto the market soon.

Yang Mei, also called waxberries, are the waxy fruit of the wax myrtle. They have been collected for thousands of years in China and used medicinally. It is a healthy fruit, high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals; including vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and carotene. The yumberry has over 100 varieties including white, pink, red, and purple. Usually the purple variety of yumberry has the best quality and taste.

SunOpta Fruit Group will soon start marketing Yumberry juice concentrate in the United States, and then in Canada one year later. This means you should hopefully start seeing the juice on market shelves in a few months after the juice companies develop their products. The juice samples I tried a few years ago were slightly tart and sweet with a nice, deep, fruity flavor all its own. Expect to see it used in various juices and juice blends similar to how pomegranate and acai have been.

The company says that "Yumberry will be used in diverse applications ranging from fruit juices to bakery applications, wines, cocktails and dairy products." Personally, I can't wait to play around with the juice in cocktails and I think there are a lot of possibilities; although it's going to be strange asking for a bottle of Yumberry juice in the store or a Yumberry Sour cocktail at a bar.