When Life Hands You Lemons, You Make Elderberry Syrup

 Our Oldest 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, Christmas 2020