When it comes to purple fruits, there are plenty of options, from blueberries to cherries and blackberries. What sets the Queen Garnet plum apart is that it doesn’t just join the list, it leads it. With its intense purple colour, unique flavour, and years of dedicated research, the Queen Garnet has earned a reputation as the jewel of anthocyanin-rich foods.
What are anthocyanins?
Anthocyanins are natural pigments that give purple fruits and vegetables their rich colour. They’re part of the flavonoid family; compounds that plants use for protection and that we enjoy through their vibrant colours and flavours.
Foods like blueberries, purple carrots, cherries, and plums all contain anthocyanins, but not all in the same measure. This is where the Queen Garnet stands out.
Why Queen Garnet is different
Unlike common plums, the Queen Garnet was developed in Australia through careful, natural cross-breeding. The result is a fruit with significantly higher natural anthocyanin levels, giving it both its distinctive deep-purple colour and a flavour that’s rich, tangy, and sweet in perfect balance.
This unique profile has made the Queen Garnet the subject of independent university research, rare attention for a fruit. In fact, it has been studied for its potential role in areas like cardiovascular health and healthy ageing.
What the research tells us
Independent studies have explored anthocyanin-rich juices made from Queen Garnet plums:
- Blood pressure (pilot study): Participants showed a reduction in ambulatory blood pressure after drinking Queen Garnet plum juice, particularly in older adults. Short-term cognition did not change, and the timing of doses made little difference.
- After a high-fat meal (randomised trial): In overweight older adults, having an anthocyanin-rich Queen Garnet juice with a high-fat, high-energy meal led to better measures of blood vessel function at two hours (higher flow-mediated dilation and microvascular responsiveness) and a lower C-reactive protein at four hours. There were no postprandial differences for blood pressure or several other biomarkers measured.
Sources:
Igwe EO, Charlton KE, Roodenrys S, Kent K, Fanning K, Netzel ME. Nutrition Research. 2017;47:28–43. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2017.08.006
do Rosario VA, Chang C, Spencer J, et al. Clinical Nutrition. 2021;40(3). (Crossover, randomised, double-blind clinical trial investigating anthocyanin-rich Queen Garnet plum juice with a high-fat meal challenge in overweight older adults.)
More than just a seasonal fruit
Fresh Queen Garnet plums are available only in a short harvest window, which makes them a seasonal highlight. To meet demand beyond summer, we’ve created ways to capture their distinctive flavour:
- Queen Garnet Nectar delivers the rich, tangy-sweet taste of the fruit.
- PurQ powders bring Queen Garnet together with other carefully chosen ingredients for versatile, everyday use.
This means you don’t have to miss out on what makes Queen Garnet so special, even outside of harvest season.
The Queen of purple foods
Plenty of fruits wear purple skins, but none with the intensity, richness, or story of the Queen Garnet plum. From its vibrant colour to its rare research backing, this fruit has become more than just a seasonal favourite — it’s a symbol of what makes purple foods so powerful.