Alberta rhodiola rosea growers have signed a multi-year contract with a European pharmaceutical company to supply a new health food product for Boots, a British drug store chain.
Judy Zastre, a director with the Alberta Rhodiola Rosea Growers Organization, said the buyer wanted all the rhodiola rosea the organization could supply, but had to settle for only a portion of the 2008 crop.
At least five other buyers have also shown an interest in last year’s production, the first commercial crop harvested since the rhodiola rosea project began in Alberta five years ago.
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“He was very impressed,” Zastre said while taking a break from weeding her crop.
“He’s never seen an organization that has worked together with government and growers to get the crop off the field.”
Rhodiola rosea, also known as roseroot and goldenroot, is used extensively in Europe to increase resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue and boost mental alertness. There are many species of rhodiola, but only rosea has the active ingredient called rosavins required for the herbal product.
Zastre said buyers like working with rhodiola rosea from Alberta because they don’t have to deal with several small producers and the product is traceable.
She said growers record every time they water, fertilize and weed. As well, each plant can be traced back to the seedling, the field and the grower.
“Traceability is the big thing,” Zastre said.
About 140 growers, mainly in central Alberta, are part of a new generation co-operative trying to grow and market the crop. In 2008, members harvested about 770 kilograms of dried root.
Depending on the weather, producers must wait four to five years before they can harvest the root and crown of the plant.
Zastre said some buyers wanted fresh product, but the grower group was unwilling to risk shipping it. Last year all the crop was washed, dried and chipped at the Alberta government’s Crop Development Centre North near Edmonton.
This September, the association will move to its own facility in Thorsby, Alta., where it’s expected almost two tonnes of crop will be processed.
By 2012, the group hopes to have one million plants in the field but is looking for more growers to fill the increasing demand. Each new grower starts with 5,000 plants in a quarter of an acre area. Another 5,000 plants are added each year until the field reaches about one and a quarter acres after five years.
The plants do not compete well and must be hand weeded, especially in the first two years.
“It’s a lot of hand work,” Zastre said.
She said working as a new generation co-op has allowed the growers to demand a higher price for their product. The European buyer offered an initial price, but it was rejected. Six months later he came back with an offer almost double, which was accepted.
“There’s not a comparable product anywhere else in the world,” Zastre said.
