Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodi Keegan.
Hi Jodi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Jodi’s Elderberry Syrup was started back in 2017 when my children were small. The kids had nonstop colds, strep, allergies, you name it. My son had asthma that was triggered by colds and allergies, and he was ending up at the ER at least once a month. They would get sick and bring it home to us and run turn; we would become ill. We were all sick and tired of being SICK and TIRED. A good friend turned me onto elderberry syrup, and it helped! We were finally feeling better and able to function out in the world. I decided to start making it myself, playing with different recipes to make it taste great to my kids (no one wants to fight a sick kid), have no harmful additives, and use all-natural ingredients that have a purpose. When I perfected my recipe, I found that several others were on the search for the same thing. I figured if I’m already making it for my family, I can make it for others too. I advertised that I was making it on the Clayton Moms Facebook page, and it was a hit! I was making it in my home kitchen, pouring it into mason jars, and meeting moms in the parking lot of preschools to sell my product. A few months later, a local country store reached out to me asking if they can carry my product… And Jodi’s Elderberry Syrup was born. My best friend helped me create a label and branding; I reached out to NC Department of Agriculture to be sure that I was making a safe product, moved into a commercial kitchen, and the rest is history!
I now have an online store; I have added several items to my product line to include elderberry-infused honey, organic elderberry gummies, jams, jelly, unicorn cocoa, elderberry lemonade, elderberry apple cider, and more! My products are sold in 45 retail locations in 8 counties in NC, and I sell my products at 3 different farmers markets (Clayton Farmers Market, South Durham Farmers Market & Cary Downtown Farmers Market). I still continue to make every batch of my elderberry syrup (with a little help from a friend and family) and am loving every minute of my business venture! I love meeting my customers and hearing their d=stories of how my products have helped keep them and their family well!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road! There have been many challenges. I did not initially intend to start a business. Therefore, I had no business plan; I didn’t have time to research starting/running a business with small children in tow. I ran with the punches and let the business lead me. The biggest challenge was learning how to scale up my recipe and the right tools to use to make it a time-efficient process. Since elderberry syrup was a fairly new product at the time, finding out who inspected my processes was also a challenge. Luckily, I managed to find the right people to help me through it all!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Jodi’s Elderberry Syrup is a wellness syrup company that uses high-quality, all-natural ingredients to create superior wellness products for you and your family. My most popular products are elderberry syrup, organic elderberry gummies, and elderberry-infused honey. I’m most proud that I have built this company from the ground up with the support of my family. My brand continues to and always will use the highest quality organic ingredients with a wellness purpose. I still do and always plan to make Jodi’s elderberry syrup myself to ensure that my customers always receive the best product. I would like my customers to be aware of the amazing health benefits of each one of my ingredients. Each ingredient was chosen with not only taste in mind but also health benefit.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
I feel that anyone starting a business is a risk taker. No business is guaranteed, no matter how great the product or idea is, especially in today’s economy. During COVID times, when everything shut down, my product was refrigerated product with a 4-month shelf life. Stores everywhere shut down with my product in it. I lost a ton of inventory and felt very defeated, as most did during that time. I could have chosen to give up at that time, but I took that opportunity to change my business model and become a shelf-stable product with a one-year shelf life. I was unsure if this would hurt my business or help it thrive. Looking back on it now, that was the best decision that I could have made. It allowed my products to be sold at locations without refrigerators, and the chance of fermentation was eliminated. I wish I had done it sooner.
Pricing:
- 8oz elderberry syrup $18
- 16oz elderberry syrup $30
- elderberry infused honey $15
- organic elderberry gummies $30
- organic elderberry kids gummies $30
Contact Info:
- Website: www.JodisElderberrySyrup.com
- Instagram: @jodiselderberrrysyrup
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jodiselderberrysyrup
Image Credits
Casey Horst Photography
