Articles

Turning Prairie Berries into Evidence-Backed Wellness Solutions

By Community Manager posted 07-22-2025 08:00

  

Alberta-based haskalife is scaling its ambitions—from producing delicious haskap powders and shots to pioneering clinical-grade research on the berry’s benefits for women’s health. Backed by a $50,000 Innovation Booster grant from CFIN, the company is accelerating work on validation and ingredient development rooted in its farm-to-ingredient model. 

A Canadian Berry with Untapped Potential 

Haskap berries—the deep-purple fruit also known as honeyberry—are celebrated for their rich anthocyanin content, reportedly up to four times higher than blueberries, and prized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Partnering with Prairie Hill Farms, haskalife combines high-pressure processing and freeze-drying techniques to retain nutrients and flavour, delivering single-ingredient powders and juice shots. 

Building Science-Backed Clean-Label Ingredients 

With CFIN funding, haskalife is now expanding beyond food products into clinical validation. The company is preparing a placebo-controlled trial focused on women aged 35+, designed to test the impact of its Pure Haskap Berry formulation on cardiovascular and cognitive markers. Trial results are expected this year. 

This initiative brings together academic and clinical partners including the University of Manitoba, Chronic Disease Innovation Centre, Alberta’s Bio Processing Innovation Centre and Alberta Food Centre, and Dr. Eldon Smith from the University of Calgary’s Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s Strategic Advisory Board. 

Canadian-Grown, Globally Relevant 

haskalife is fully vertically integrated—growing, processing, and packaging all within Alberta. Its CanadaGAP-certified farm-to-ingredient approach ensures traceability, sustainability, and quality control from field to functional product. The berry powders are already available in major grocery outlets across Alberta and online. 

Unlocking Value for Consumers, Brands, and Growers 

  • Targeted wellness: Women over 35 are often overlooked in supplement development—this trial could unlock credible, berry-based cardiometabolic and cognitive support tailored to their needs. 

  • Market differentiation: A clinically validated ingredient sourced entirely from Canadian-grown haskap helps nutrition brands stand out amid scrutiny over health claims. 

  • Grower opportunity: As demand for functional nutrition ingredients grows, haskalife’s success opens new markets for Prairie haskap producers. 

What’s Next for haskalife 

haskalife is completing its clinical trial in 2025, aiming to translate results into validated ingredient claims and new product formats by late 2026. If successful, the company will offer a uniquely Canadian, science-backed superberry ingredient in a market hungry for clean-label, evidence-backed wellness solutions.