Our Eldest Son, and "co-founder", Julian in 2019
Professional Violinist Turned Elderberry-Maker
So how exactly does one end up selling Elderberry Syrup?
Glad you asked because some days it still doesn't make sense to me either!
I grew up in the beautiful and diverse city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and picked up the guitar in preschool. I started playing violin at 12 and by the time I was 25, I was traveling in and out of Nashville, tracking my first album as a singer/songwriter. See the video below? That's me surprising my hubby at our wedding with an original.
I completed a bachelors in music, taught in the public school system, started and operated a small music school in Jacksonville, Florida, traveled all over the world playing violin and even landed a few auditions on America's Got Talent and X-Factor...
Had you told me then that I would be cooking up gallons of Elderberry syrup, I would have laughed and told you that I can't cook.
But in 2012, I married my best friend and we had our first son in 2014. As many moms will tell you, life quickly took a sharp turn.
Fighting for Answers
In 2017, my family and I moved from Jacksonville, Florida to Fort Myers, when my two year old son suddenly started to suffer from a slew of health issues.
We spent most of our first year taking him to multiple specialists only to find out he had developed severe allergies to our new environment.
We started him on a routine that involved all sorts of new medications to try and control his allergic reactions and respiratory attacks and it seemed that he couldn't go one week without a new illness. His immune system was incredibly weak and overwhelmed by the new environment.
We enrolled him in preschool and he spent weeks fighting off sickness, with some of those illnesses sending us to the ER for a total of thirteen times in less than a year.
In 2017, our youngest arrived and at only 6 weeks old, he contracted RSV- a respiratory disease that can be fatal to newborns. We spent 14 days in the hospital with Jesse and it was a nightmare... we watched in utter panic as his oxygen levels dropped and desperately prayed for a safe recovery. We are so grateful to say he went home a strong, healthy baby but this mama felt so defeated.
It didn’t take long until I began to suffer with severe postpartum depression. During the day, I struggled to care for a toddler who was still constantly sick and at night, nursing a colicky baby. Juggling this in a new city with very little support and community took a massive toll on my mental health. Pretty soon, my exhaustion turned to desperation and desperation in a mother’s heart will move mountains.
I spent a small fortune on natural supplements and focused on developing a new health regimen for my boys. I started hearing a few moms recommend Elderberry syrup and paid $35 for 5 ounces of organic Elderberry at the health store. After a few bottles, I learned I could make a much cleaner version of it, myself and at the same time, save money.
Jesse's 1st Christmas
Christmas 2018, our entire family was hit with an aggressive respiratory virus (that I am 99% sure we caught from sitting on a very sniffly Santa at the mall) and I finally attempted my first batch of organic Elderberry syrup. I imported the very best elderberries I could find and cooked up a delicious, toddler-proof recipe.
Just a couple days later, both of the children were back to good health and I made it out without a scratch.
It was the first time I hadn't caught a cold from the kids while taking care of them and I was amazed. Almost two weeks later, my husband was still recovering from the same cold and I think that was the moment we all became believers.
I started offering fresh batches in mason jars for friends and family and two weeks later I had 75 orders.
Our company turned two in February of 2021 and I could never have anticipated the incredible response and love for our products. I am truly honored to have created a product that is helping thousands of families stay well and I am incredibly proud to share it with you!
Here’s to making Elderberry syrup out of “lemons” :)
Leny Fralicker
Founder of Elderberry Elixir Co.
Our Family Today, Spring 2022
5 comments
I first made the elderberry syrup last week. I have always heard it was great for your immune system but never tried it. After being in and out of hospitals this year due to my husband having a major stroke, I wanted to be sure that my two girls and myself were ready to battle anything that we may have a chance to pick up traveling to these hospitals. So I ordered the elderberry kit to have on hand. I started feeling rundown and got a fever one night last week with runny nose and achy. I was tested for covid and was negative and made my first batch of syrup right away and also gave my girls some also. Surprised that they actually took it willingly without complaining about the flavor.(That’s an amazing, huge deal!! 😜) I felt better the next day and didn’t get any worse! I was so excited that I got online and bought two more kits to have on hand and bought the cute honeycomb storage tray. I’m so thankful and happy that I can get this great product to have it on hand so you can just make it up when you want or need it. Thank you for sharing your product to help keep us all healthy! I’ll share with others and will be buying this product only from you! ❤️
J. Platteter on
Today is January 28th, 2020. One year ago I decided to try my friends homemade Elderberry Elixir. After reading and seeing post of Facebook about boosting your immune system to help fight the flu or just getting sick. I was totally on board to try it out. I was tired of getting sick after everyone at work. I couldn’t afford to take off work. Living as an adult you don’t take the time to take care of yourself and you tire yourself out, work to exhaustion, get stressed out and have lack of sleep. All things that make it easier for your body to get sick. After I got use to the bitter taste. (I never had elderberry before) I started to noticed that I was doing pretty good. And some batches were much sweeter than others. The true test was November when the melaleuca trees bloom here is FL. I always get a stuffy nose. But to my surprise it never happened. Every time I had a start of a sore throat or a tickle. I took two doses and by the second day I was 100% good to go.
(Ps trying to hook my family on it and the people I work with 😊)Everyone has been getting since when school started. But I never did. This is the best way to spent your money instead of spending it on cold medicine or going to the doctor.
Thank you Leny for making Elderberry Elixir. I will forever be a loyal customer
Andra Pettit on
A friend of mine who lives North of Tampa was telling me how she’s been feeling under the weather and works as an ER nurse so her immune system is constantly getting attacked. Her and I swear by Thieves from Young Living and it’s been helping her fight off a lot of sickness but I knew Elderberry Elixir would help give her that extra boost she needs. As soon as she told me she was feeling sick, I jumped online and sent her a bottle right away. I’m a huge fan of Elderberry Elixir and share it and gift it to others whenever I can!
Katie Kupser on
Simply amazing! My husband, my 1 year old, my mom and I have taken this. My mom took it every two hours after starting to feel ill after a flight. She didn’t get sick!! She loves this now and is ready to order some herself! My son was sick all last fall as he’s in daycare. Knock on wood but he hasn’t been sick this fall thus far. Time to order more to ensure he doesn’t get crazy sick this fall. Thank you, elderberry elixir!
Janiece Richard on
This is hands down THE best elderberry mix I have ever purchased!!! The taste is more than I had expected, it was fabulous and the kids take it with no issues at all, we all actually like it! I will not purchase it anywhere else, ever! Thank you so much for preparing this amazing tasteful remedy for us all 😄
Candy Adams on