Type: Farm

Produces: Aronia Berries

Location: Keota, IA

Miles from Coop: 36

lyle-berries.png

Farmer Levi Lyle believes taking care of one's own health is the first step in caring for the soil.

That's why LIFE (Levi's Indigenous Fruit Enterprise) began over a decade ago. When looking for crops to diversify their family farm, Levi wanted to grow fruits known for their healthful qualities. 

“I wanted to promote something that is native to the Midwest.”

lyle-family.png

Tart and juicy, aronia berries look similar to blueberries, but with three times the antioxidants and a much more astringent flavor.

Aronia berries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit tested by the USDA. 

“My kids eat them by the handfuls. They aren’t supersweet, but as a native and wild fruit, they have more nutrition.”

Levi's farm now boasts other native Iowa fruits like paw paws, sour cherries and honeyberries. 

levi-lyle-collage.jpg

By diversifying with indigenous plants, the Lyles are able to lean into the seasonality of their crops and connect even more to nature. 

“Growing aronia berries has become a great analogy for how we can work sustainably with nature to grow food.”

Levi is a leader in conservation no-till farming practices and carbon sequestration. 


Other Local Producers

Be sure to check out these others great local producers!

Rot's Bounty Gourmet Fungi

Rot's Bounty Gourmet Fungi

Rot’s Bounty is a small, family-owned mushroom farm in Iowa City that seeks to provide delicious, fresh, and beautiful fungi to local grocers and restaurants.

Iowa City, Iowa

La Quercia, LLC

La Quercia, LLC

Herb & Kathy set out to elevate humanely raised Iowa pork to a top-class Italian delicacy, and they’ve done just that.

Norwalk, IA

Rolling Hills

Rolling Hills

Iowa grown herbs and lettuce, grown hydroponically by this family owned business near West Union, IA.

West Union, Iowa

Ferndale Market

Ferndale Market

“We keep [the turkeys] rotating onto fresh pasture. It’s a true free-range program, outdoors from early spring.”

Cannon Falls, MN

Early Morning Harvest

Early Morning Harvest

Earl, Ronda (above), & son Jeff Haffner grow organic grains and stone grind them whole – germ intact (unlike commercial flour). Their organic grains are in many of New Pi’s breads, prepared foods, and on New Pi shelves

Panora, IA

Little Deb's Berry Farm

Little Deb's Berry Farm

Little Deb’s Berry Farm, situated just outside of Newhall, Iowa is the pride and joy of Jeff and Deb Sindelar. Here, you'll find a vibrant mix of crops like kiwi berries, honey berries, nuts, and asparagus.

Newhall, Iowa

Ansel's Awesome Sauce

Ansel's Awesome Sauce

Ansel’s Awesome Hot Sauce, founded by Ansel Cummings in Riverside, IA, creates a variety of tasty hot sauces that prioritize flavor, heat levels, local producers, and exceptional quality and practices.

Riverside, IA

Cafe del Sol

Cafe del Sol

With a passion for great coffee and sustainability, Stephen Dunham developed a line of coffees with a clean flavor and footprint.

Iowa City, IA