Yumberry: the Next Super Fruit of the Year?

Move over pomegranate! There’s a new super fruit on the block and it could steal the title of super fruit of the year from the more seasoned pomegranate. The new super fruit that will be vying for your attention at the supermarket is the yumberry. With a name like that, fruit has a lot to live up to from a taste standpoint.

The initial introduction of the much touted yumberry into the U.S. market will be in the form of a nutrient packed drink called Fruttzo. Although this may be the super fruit’s first foray into the American market, it’s been grown successfully for over 2,000 years in China where the fruit is known as yang-mei. This bumpy reddish purple fruit with its rather odd appearance is related to the more commonly known bayberry species of plant sold in the U.S. The Yang-mei fruit is widely consumed in China where you can find it sold in markets and by street vendors in the Zhejiang province of Shanghai where it’s grown.

If you want to try the Yang-mei or yumberry fruit, you won’t be able to buy it at the produce stand of your local supermarket just yet. Its first appearance will be in the form of Frutzzo yumberry juice which will come in traditional and organic versions as well as combined with pomegranate juice for a unique blended juice drink.

How does yumberry fruit juice taste? Some liken the flavor of this super fruit to that of the pomegranate describing it as pleasantly tart with sweet undertones. Besides taste, you also get the benefits of the numerous antioxidants and vitamins reportedly contained in this fruit drink. Frutzzo yumberry juice supposedly has fifty times the antioxidant power of Vitamin E and twenty times the antioxidant capacity of Vitamin C, making it a powerhouse of antioxidant capability. Most Americans are now aware of the potential for antioxidants found in foods to reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases and possibly slow down damage to DNA which may some of the effects of aging. If Americans can get their antioxidants in the form of a delicious tasting drink so much the better.

The company bringing Fruttzo on the market also has plans to introduce a variety of other flavors of the yumberry juice blends including yumberry combined with blueberry, acai, passion fruit, raspberry, and cherry juice. Such taste and health benefits won’t come without a hefty price tag. A twelve ounce bottle of the drink will sell for around three dollars per bottle with the organic version costing around $3.60 per bottle.

Will yumberry unseat the pomegranate for super fruit of the year? Only time will tell.