Ocooch Mountain
Elderberries
The Amazing Elderberry
From the early days of wild foraging, through the development of the Rotary Destemmer, to Embark’s Elderberry Maple Energy, Mike Breckel, proud papa of Embark’s Bree, has been an elderberry enthusiast for decades.
For everyone who wants to dive a little deeper into the wild world of this amazing fruit, here is your home for pick your own, propagation tips and the destemmer that makes it all possible.
Join the Ocooch Mountain Elderberry Community —
growing tips, harvest news, and destemmer updates
Meet the Destemmer!
Custom Built for Commercial Growers & Producer Groups
The Ocooch Mountain Rotary Elderberry Destemmer processes what would take hours by hand in minutes — gently separating berries and flowers from stems without bruising, at commercial harvest scale. Easy and safe to use with a single operator, it provides both labor savings and superior quality destemmed berries.
Designed and built in Wisconsin by Mike Breckel, it's available by custom order for commercial elderberry growers, small farms, and producer co-ops. Contact Mike to discuss specifications, capacity, and lead time.
Inquire About a Custom Destemmer Order
Grow Your Own
Elderberry Propagation with Mike Breckel
Elderberry Propagation Guide: Tips from a Wisconsin Grower
Mike Breckel has been growing American elderberries in Wisconsin's Driftless Region for decades. His elderberry propagation video on YouTube has reached over 20,000 growers across the country — covering cuttings, planting, site selection, and best varieties for Midwest conditions. Whether you're starting your first planting or expanding to commercial scale, reach out to Mike directly. There's little he loves more than talking elderberries.
Pick Your Own
In the Driftless Region of Wisconsin
In the height of Elderbery Harvest Season, Mike invites you to the farm to pick your own elderberries from his grove. You will go home with destemmed berries ready for jelly, syrup, wine and more.
In our area elderberries typically ripen in August. We are located in the Driftless Region, about 20 minutes North of Viroqua, 40 minutes East of La Crosse.
Pick your own is by arrangement only to make sure the berries are perfectly ripe. Inquire with Mike to coordinate.
Embark Elderberry Maple
Did you know Mike’s Elderberries are used in Embark's Elderberry Maple! Three ingredients- Maple Syrup, Elderberry Juice and Sea Salt provide a big, bold, wild fruit flavor that balances the tartness of the Elderberries with the sweet of the maple. The 3oz Maple Energy pouch is perfect for on-the-go adventures, and the 1.5L Embark Everyday is adds Elderberry Goodness to your morning oatmeal, your trusty water bottle, and your after work cocktails. Three generations, two farms, one family, bringing Elderberry Maple to you.
The tartness of elderberries is balanced by our salted maple for a bold wild fruit flavor. This is our go-to for mixing in our water bottles, and packs a punch of caffeine free energy straight from the pouch.
80g carbs - 320 calories - 250mg Sodium
Celebrate everyday adventures with the new 1.5L Embark Everyday – this trail ready “bag-in-a-box” of Embark has plenty of Good Energy for your daily runs or rides AND enough to share with your pals on the next adventure!
A family Farm with Deep Roots
The same family that taps maple trees in the woods of Wisconsin’s Driftless Region has been growing elderberries for decades. Same watershed. Same values. Same belief that the best things come from connecting to people and place through food.
