I remember the first time I felt embarrassed about starting a small business. It was December 2017 and I was sitting in the sound booth at my church while my husband ran lights. I wasn’t paying attention to service (oops) but instead, I was about to create a Facebook Business Page that I called “Louisville Elderberry”. At the time, I had sold a few jars of homemade Elderberry Syrup to some friends and I wanted to sell more. Before I hit “publish”, I felt a strong surge of excitement followed by a tinge of embarrassment. What if my friends or family laughed at me? What if it was a total failure and never amounted to anything? It was the same embarrassment I felt two years later in 2019 when my small business grew big enough to warrant its own storefront in downtown New Albany, IN. I stood outside of my shop as the “Coming Soon” signs went up on the windows next to my new business name “The Elderberry Co”. A nice couple walking down the street stopped and asked, “So it’s just elderberry? I don’t get it.” I didn’t quite know how to respond other than a quiet giggle and a “Yep, it’s just elderberry.” Que that familiar embarrassing feeling all over again.
Now, over 6 years from the sound booth moment, I find myself not feeling embarrassed exactly, but feeling more so awestruck at what I’ve built with the help of so many talented people and what this small business has become not just to me and my family, but the lives of dozens of team members who have come alongside me to grow The Elderberry Co. into a nationwide, household brand. I can’t believe it, but we continue to grow, month after month, with more customers and new products that are accomplishing our mission: Healthy Families, Happy Families. While Elderberry Syrup remains our best selling product, our customers across the US are trusting us with their health, from immune support, to Collagen + Biotin for hair and nail growth, to an amazing skincare line curated with the BEST natural ingredients. It’s an absolute DREAM what The Elderberry Co has become. Our workplace culture and small team of people not only produces the highest quality products, but also produces a refreshing atmosphere characterized by the company values plastered on every wall in the building: kindness, joy, generosity, relationships, sincerity, courage and hard work. Somebody pinch me.
And so as we continue the story of The Elderberry Co, we have BIG plans to grow into a larger space where we can continue to fulfill our hundreds of online orders every day. Maybe someday we will have thousands of orders every day! While there is a lot of unknown about what this next season will look like, I do know that our team doesn’t intend to slow down anytime soon. We are so dang passionate about getting our products into the hands of families everywhere. We want our customers to live healthy and active lives….less sick days and more memories being made.
What a joy it is to be on this journey. If you’ve been a customer with us for a while, we would love to hear from you! How have our products impacted you or your family? As always, thank you for supporting small business and giving us the confidence to push through embarrassing moments and go after BIG dreams.
13 comments
I was so Thankful to find your Company!! We harvest and make our own Elderberry syrup, also freeze dry them for giving away to family who love out of town . My two sons celebrated their birthday this past February, born same day six years apart . Oldest son has been doing alot of home remedies and had used up all his freeze dried elderberries. When asked what each wanted for birthday he said “ do you have anymore elderberries mom? I used the last of mine making Fire Cider”. I answered that I did. Only to discover , I didn’t!! They had all been given away. I searched on line and there you were like a light in the darkness!! Ordered two pkgs right away, they were shipped to Alaska with free shipping. Expected them to take a couple weeks, was pleasantly surprise it was more like a few days . Son is very pleased also. Thank you for coming to the rescue 😊. Will be ordering again.
Hey there, Diane! Using HSN to spread the word about our small business is a great idea— we are always looking for ways to improve and grow the brand, bringing the immune-boosting power of elderberries into every household that is looking for natural ways to stay healthy. Thanks for the suggestion, we appreciate you and your support!
I cannot tell you how much your company and products mean to me. I had barely any immune system and your Syrup and you immune capsules have been a life saver! I have been with you all since 2020. I am a Nurse Practitioner and I tell all my friends, family and patients about you all! So happy you had the dream!
I just received the elderberry kit & made it at the beginning of this week. It’s really good. I was buying elderberry products in a store & when that wasn’t available anymore, I started to get colds again. My colds hang on way too long. I was excited to find your product thats natural &. doesn’t have all the junk that the store stuff does. I’m looking forward to not taking OTC allergy meds as someone mentioned they were able to do. Buying this kit is cheaper than the store stuff. Big win all the way around. 😊
My husband and I have been using The Elderberry Co products for a long time. We swear by them. As you know, many people return from cruises sick with something or even Covid. We have been on several cruises since Covid and we have NEVER gotten sick during or after our crluises. We highly reccomend The Elderberry Co products.