Macedonian Juniper Harvest

Macedonia Trip

Tommy recently returned from Macedonia where he was discussing quantities and the harvest for the next Juniper crop. This is due to start in September 2022. Given the travel restrictions it was his first trip to Macedonia for over two years and it was good to be back seeing some familiar faces.

botanical macedonian juniper berries harvest
Some early movers!

The Juniper berries are ripening

It is too early to tell what the crop will look like this year as the berries are still around 30 days away from ripening. The process of ripening, turning the berries from green to blue/black, can take 15 days.

Also, given all the wildfire risks, the Macedonian Government have restrictions in place to prevent anyone going into the mountains. This is entirely normal and even more prevalent now given the horrible fires across Greece and other European countries.

botanicals macedonian juniper berries ripening

Drying of the Juniper

Understandably, the cost-of-living crisis is also affecting Macedonia and the country relies to some extent on Russian gas. This is a worry not only for their living standards but also for the drying of Juniper. This formed a key part of Tommy’s discussions.

Returning to Macedonia

Tommy will be returning to Macedonia during the harvest and has a trip to Serbia planned for August so there will be far more information to come. Our stocks of Juniper (2021 crop) are extremely healthy so please do not hesitate to contact us and otherwise watch this space!