Jen (00:00:04) - Welcome to Myrtle Moms with Margaritas. The show where we sip cool drinks, talk about hot topics and certainly don't take ourselves too seriously. Grab your favorite beverage, give your children the iPads and take a break, because this episode we're learning all about the power of elderberry with a mom who is a business founder and CEO. I'm Jen, Colton and Nolan's mom.
Shannon (00:00:24) - I'm Shannon, Gabriel and Grayson's mom. And Jen, this is our first time back in the studio after a couple of weeks with CCMF (yep!) and everything. (Yeah.) It's kind of nice to be inside.
Jen (00:00:32) - I know! I feel like we have some life updates, but maybe we really don't. We've just been busy.
Shannon (00:00:38) - We've just been so busy, exactly! Well, we have a fun night plan (Yes!) — Pelicans. Paw Patrol.
Jen (00:00:43) - Yep. Paw patrol at night. Tonight.
Shannon (00:00:45) - You know, Boys and Paw Patrol. That'll be fun.
Jen (00:00:47) - I'm interested to see if he is going to engage with the characters (yeah?) or if he's just going to stand back, ‘cause I —
Shannon (00:00:53) - And just be like, “Ahhhhhh!”
Jen (00:00:54) - Exactly. Or his excitement for Paw Patrol is just going to take over and he's just going to jump (jump right in?)
Shannon (00:01:01) - I'm just curious because Grayson was asking me even last night, “Are they going to play different Paw Patrol songs throughout the entire….?”
Jen (00:01:07) - I'm sure. (Oh my goodness.) I'm sure the whole night is themed out.
Shannon (00:01:09) - So it's going to be… I was trying to find Paw Patrol shirts for us, within the household, and they're all toddler shirts that don’t fit any more. And I didn't have a chance to go to Target or anything.
Jen (00:01:20) - We’re rockin’ our Pelicans gear.
Shannon (00:01:21) - Okay, good. All right. We are, too. (Yeah.) Well, with that being said is, I know that we definitely have a lot going on, but we actually have a special guest today. We were talking with her briefly, but we had to — we're like, “Oh wait, let's cut that and start the show so we can really learn more.” But, today's guest, Jessica Lowry, is a wife, a mom of three and an entrepreneur. Jessica is the founder and CEO of the company The Power of Elderberries, which sells one of a kind immune supporting elderberry products.
Shannon (00:01:48) - She is married to her husband, Jake. They actually work together, too. They share three beautiful children. They have a daughter and two sons, and Jessica earned her B.S. from Coastal Carolina University — “Go Chaunc’!” — and her Masters at the University of South Carolina before funding her company. As a successful businesswoman, a wife and a mom, Jessica truly does it all, and I can definitely attest to that from knowing Jessica for many, many years. So, welcome to the show!
Jessica (00:02:15) - Thank you so much for having me. (Yeah, yes!) I really appreciate it.
Shannon (00:02:19) - Thanks for being here today.
Jen (00:02:20) - All right. So I'm going to start off with the obvious question. What is the power of Elderberries?
Jessica (00:02:25) - Well, this can go deep, right?
Jen (00:02:26) - Your company and also, literally, what is the power?
Jessica (00:02:30) - Yeah, Yeah. So let's start with the company, the power of Elderberries. We manufacture handcrafted, immune supporting elderberry products. We keep them free of added sugars, fillers, thickeners, dyes, concentrates, preservatives, all the things that you don't want in a supplementation.
Jessica (00:02:48) - And we partner with holistic practitioners that recommend our product and we have our product in both a liquid and bite form. Whether you're on the go or you want to take our elderberry syrup liquid while you're home.
Shannon (00:03:01) - I think the last time we really talked in full detail about the elderberries, you are in the process of doing the chewable gummy elderberry, so this is wonderful. (Yeah.) How long have you had that product now?
Jessica (00:03:12) - A little over two years.
Shannon (00:03:13) - Okay. And I'm assuming that's a pretty popular one just because of, like you just said, “On the go.”
Jessica (00:03:18) - It is. We we essentially created our signature elderberry syrup product into little traveling pods because our customers were asking, “Gosh, if there's a way that you can make the shelf stable where it doesn't require the refrigeration, that would be phenomenal for vacations, camping on the go, you know, car pickup line, what have you, always had them on you.” And so that's what we did. And my “no-list” was pretty strong. So the stakes were pretty high in trying to formulate something that could still be kept free from sugar.
Jessica (00:03:50) - Because I don't know about you, but I've never given my kids gummies because they're so chewy and sticky and, you know, cause cavities and get stuck in the teeth. And I personally don't like gummy, so I didn't want that stickiness and I also wanted them free of sugar, which made them very difficult to formulate. And we only use local, raw honey in the bites just as we do our liquid. And we also don't put beef gelatin in them. And there's so much to learn and unpack about supplementation that I've learned along the way, which is all the research and the digging and wanting to be known as premium supplementation. Because, I say it all the time, it's like “What I want for my own family is also what I want for you.” Like, (Exactly.) I wouldn't be doing this business if my heart was in the right place for that because it's like it's something we take every day. It's something I developed and formulated in my home kitchen, simply because what I was looking for wasn't available in stores.
Jessica (00:04:46) - And I think that that's the beauty of the story, is taking it upon myself to create something phenomenal, which I can also then share with others.
Shannon (00:04:55) - Well, and you just said that she started in the kitchen. How long have you been doing this and what made you actually want to create this product for the community? And now you are in several states.
Jessica (00:05:06) - Yeah, well, I'll just say, it’s going back to my story and wanting better quality of ingredients. So, the formulation of me making this out of my home was simply for me, at that time, my daughter's taste buds. Reflecting back on my childhood, it was very traumatic in the sense that I was sick all the time, which then led to being on antibiotics all the time. And to pair that, I absolutely hated the taste of medicine. So, I have vivid memories of the kicking, the screaming, the crying. My mom, as I got older, she got to the point where she would take antibiotic capsules and break them open on a spoon and pair them with grape Kool-Aid and then put a chaser cup next to me after I would take the antibiotic.
Shannon (00:05:58) - Oh my goodness.
Jessica (00:06:00) - And so I would literally be pinned, like, you know, laying on our dining room table because it was just a traumatic experience for me. So when Rowan, my daughter, was two, I can remember she had a fever and I went to the health food store, got something more natural and experienced this flashback because she was kicking and screaming and throwing a fit. My legs were over top of her arm. She was wailing. It was terrible. And I was like, “Oh, my gosh, I am going to stop the trajectory of what her experience is like while she's sick and I'm doing it right now.” So, years before that of making elderberry syrup out of my kitchen, I had had my own experience with learning about Elderberries in 2013. I was actually around seven months pregnant with my son Beckham at the time, and I experienced flu symptoms. So at that time I took upon researching what can I take that something natural that can help me combat these symptoms without having to turn to traditional Tamiflu over the over-the-counter medicine? And that's when I first learned about this elderberry — of being one of nature's top antiviral herbs and the research that actually supported it, supporting cold and flu symptoms particularly.
Jessica (00:07:12) - So after getting my hands on some, taking a couple of doses, I was like, “Oh my gosh, I feel so much better! This stuff actually works!” The problem was that what I was looking for in terms of quality wasn't available in stores, and any one that I purchased and brought home, my daughter didn't like the taste of. (Oh, wow.) So that's what led me to creating something that she would take so that her childhood could be full of something that wasn't something she didn't like, but something that she would actually gravitate to; not only as a preventative, but something I could turn to when she wasn't feeling well. And that was kind of the story of me gathering up the ingredients, making it for my home kitchen. And I'll say it again, there was no intention of this becoming a business — like that is a whole God story, for whether today or another day. But I was a full time professor. I had been teaching at Coastal for 12 years.
Jessica (00:08:05) - I absolutely loved my job. At that time in our life, though, we were struggling. Jake and I were in a really, really hard place. He wasn't really passionate or happy or excited to be in his career and his job at that time. I was getting courses dropped at Coastal during that time, so financially we were struggling and so here I was making it for my own family with the intention to just share on Facebook. “This was my story five years ago of getting the flu. We're in a flu epidemic right now. Maybe you can go find yourself some elderberry because, I guarantee you, it works. This is — it worked for me. I know it's going to work for you.” So there was no intention of actually like, “Hey, I'm selling this. Who wants to get some elderberry syrup?” Like that wasn't even like radar, right? So I put that post out of me making some in my home kitchen and two friends reached out and were like, “Hey, I would love to get some of this from you. Are you selling it?”
Jessica (00:09:08) - And it wasn't until that moment of seeing those comments that this “a-ha” went off of, "This is a calling of obedience right now, of God trying to bless our family to help bring in some more income — right now, right here — that we need.” I'm going to take this step forward and lean into this a little bit and also help other people along the way, because this isn't available in the stores — what I'm doing and what I know has been working for my own family. So, that's kind of the backstory. And what's funny is, like two weeks in, as everyone then became aware that now Jessica Lowry was making elderberry syrup for Myrtle Beach. (Right?) And, you know, the comments were pouring in. I was like, “Jake, this is kind of getting out of control. Let me move everybody over to a private Facebook group so that my whole feed’s not blown up. And we can fulfill these orders that people want.” And it was like, “Okay, well, what am I going to name this Facebook group?” And sure enough, The Power of Elderberries is what came to mind.
Shannon (00:10:14) - Oh, wow. I did not realize that.
Jessica (00:10:16) - So I was like, “Here I am sharing the benefits, the power of Elderberries.” And so two weeks in, Jake's like, “Jessica, we need to get a business license, a retail license, an LLC — like, this is becoming more than just (This is real.) making elderberry syrup. This is a consumable product that we're putting in the mouths of other people. We've got to protect ourselves.” So he's like, “What's our business name?” And I was like, “Oh my gosh. Like, I don't know. The Power of Elderberries. Let's go with the Facebook group name.” (Yeah.) And it's so funny, reflecting back on how all the little pieces connected. But that's what essentially had happened. And as you were talking about earlier, that's when meet-ups at Bob Evans, Walmart, around town — the library, the parking lot, and we’d have strapped our three kids, five and under, in their three car seats and away we went. And a lot of people don't realize; my gosh, we are both working full time.
Jessica (00:11:10) - And we would put our kids to bed at 7:00 at night and make elderberry syrup till 3:00 in the morning. And Jake was on cleanup duty. I did all the cooking. I played with the ingredients, the recipe, the formulation probably 50 times over before I nailed it to what my kids liked. And then I started diving into PH levels and balance and Clemson Extension (The chemistry side of things?) Yeah, yeah. And reaching out to all these government agencies and learning more about, like, “What do you do to make sure that you have consumer safety and quality control at the forefront of your business?” Like, that was so important to me. So, that was really a deep dive into making sure that we were setting ourselves up for success and taking on the steps of making sure that it was safe for consumers and all the things that went into that.
Shannon (00:12:06) - It's just amazing how far you've come in such a really short period of time. Which, kudos to you guys, especially with having kids and (Oh my gosh.) everything else that you all had going on.
Jessica (00:12:15) - Thank you. It's crazy to reflect back just how hard we have worked, But, I mean, nothing has come easy. And, you know, you think about Jake's background with finance. I was a teacher. Neither one of us went to school for entrepreneurship or building a business. So from the ground up, we have taken it upon ourselves to really dig in and figure everything else out, you know? And more than anything, just reaching out for help. That's been my biggest step with everything we've done along the way. Just trying to reach out to people that have skillsets that we didn't or that could kind of help guide us in this direction that we didn't know that could help keep propelling us forward.
Shannon (00:13:01) - When you've always had that gratitude attitude. I mean, you guys have been so modest when it comes to saying where you started and where you are now and you're always willing to give back. You guys are always in the community, doing as much as you possibly can.
Shannon (00:13:15) - And with the kids. I know we see each other at different sporting outings and everything else. So how is it, though, being an entrepreneur or owning your own business and then getting your kids to sports, school, homework done, dinner, everything else?
Jessica (00:13:29) - Yeah, it's definitely a team effort. I mean, Jake and I, the ying and the yang; it's like we're always constantly stepping in to help one another and to make it happen. The beauty of owning your own business is you create your own flexibility, but that also is paired with putting in so many hours, especially getting started into figuring it all out and growing the business. So, our kids have really seen this from a very young age. There's times that it's really held me back with reflection on making sure that they don't miss out on things or that I don't miss out on things. And sometimes I find myself with that mom guilt if I am busy or have to get something done or have to go to this three-day event out of town and I'm missing out on different things in their life. But I think that, all in all, we try to do the best that we can and we balance each other out really well — by tag-teaming.
Jen (00:14:26) - Do you bring the kids into the mix of kind of being part of the business? I know they're still young, but I'm sure they're around the office and that kind of thing.
Shannon (00:14:36) - Yeah. So, we have a commercial kitchen that everything's manufactured out of; we don't have a retail store. We use that for shipping, for all the production that's going down. I work out of home so my office isn't at the kitchen. All of our employees also work remotely, so it's just the communication with them where they're at, you know, department meetings every week. Jake and I collaborating — and that's a whole ‘nother animal of being in business with your spouse.
Jen (00:15:07) - I can imagine!
Shannon (00:15:08) - So kudos. That's awesome.
Jessica (00:15:12) - Yeah, it's hard. It's — you have — it's like, This is my baby,” right? I mean, we always joke, “Just one more.” And then this business came about after we had three kids and it's just difficult because I have my vision and my opinions and ideas. And then he will have his and then the team will have theirs. And it's just finding that balance on making sure that everyone is heard and we're all collaborating. But at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We want to be able to get this product in as many people's hands as we can and help more people because it's just doing amazing things that we never imagined possible. Even for my own story with using it for flu symptoms, little did I know that it was going to help people with inflammation and pain and natural allergy relief and regulating of healthy blood glucose levels and all the things that it's doing. So, it's all worth it in the end, even though it's hard. (Yeah.)
Jen (00:16:08) - So to help with those types of things, do you use it as an everyday supplement or is it something that you take once you're feeling flu symptoms or feeling that pain or a mixture of both, how does that work and go down?
Shannon (00:16:23) - Great question. So going back to I think what we were talking about earlier, of Elderberries being one of the top antiviral herbs on our planet, a lot of people turn to elderberry for immune support. They also help for cold and flu, sinus infection aid, helping to lower blood sugar. They're great for heart health. There's just a lot of great benefits they have; powerful anti-inflammatory, they have quercetin in them, all these properties. But our particular formulation also has organic ginger root, organic cinnamon sticks, organic whole cloves. And instead of sugar, we use only local South Carolina raw honey. So you can take elderberry as a preventative, which many people do, mostly seasonally during cold and flu season, allergy season. But then you also find people that just turn to it when they're symptomatic and when you're symptomatic, you take the product more aggressively. So every three hours as symptoms occur versus just the once a day as a preventative. Now, what's interesting is when we first launched the business, so many people were taking this as a preventative because we were in a flu epidemic at that time or because they were symptomatic and taking it more frequently.
Jessica (00:17:29) - But it wasn't until we got into the local farmers market that first season that we had our customers coming to us at our booth and they're like, “Jessica, you're not going to believe this. I don't need my Zyrtec and Claritin anymore. This has been phenomenal for my allergies.” “Jessica, you're not going to believe this, but my vertigo episodes — completely gone.” “Jessica, my son — he doesn't need his asthma inhaler anymore.” So we are like, “Oh, my gosh, like, what?” And then the inflammation. So all these 65 and older that have the stiffness of the joint pain and the inflammation, they were taking it for the immune support or because they think the product is so delicious tasting and the best they’d ever tried (Because it is!) — and that was intentional, right? But they didn't realize that it was going to help with their pain and inflammation the way it does. And a lot of people, around like a week to a week and a half in, they really start feeling a difference. So yes, it's supporting their immune system, but they might feel like they have more energy.
Shannon (00:18:28) - They're going to say, I felt like I had more energy when I started taking it.
Shannon (00:18:32) - Yeah. Or people might find their allergies are at bay and they're not so in discomfort; or the inflammation, in pain. They can enjoy the good things in life and their lifestyle behavior has improved because they have less stiffness and joint pain. So, a lot of people start turning to it for the immune support, going back to your question, but they really find that they find such great value in taking it year round because of the way that it makes them feel. And then they're, of course, sick less often. They're not getting a sinus infection every year or bronchitis like they used to. Their kids aren’t out of school as much because they're not getting sick as often. They don't have to take as many days off work this year or next year because their family's healthier. So there's that added value, too — and then of just having something natural to turn to when you're not feeling well, that's completely from nature.
Jessica (00:19:24) - Like that's the most beautiful thing. We always say, let nature do the healing. And I'm so passionate about holistic wellness. I mean, around the age of 20 just fell in love with it from this other side that I only knew growing up and then learning more about, “Oh my gosh, there's another approach to not feeling well,” and supporting your immune system and holistic wellness and all the things. So it's been phenomenal.
Shannon (00:19:50) - Not to mention the fact this is way more reasonable and better for you than your typical prescriptions that you are given when you are sick.
Jessica (00:19:58) - Yeah, absolutely.
Jen (00:19:58) - Or over the counter.
Shannon (00:19:59) - Or over the counter. Exactly.
Jessica (00:20:01) - And especially moms with children. It's like, you don't have to call poison control if you get too much, you know? You don't have to worry about the dyes and all the things that are going to affect behavior or, better yet, the side effects that come with that. Right? And that's the beautiful thing, as my kids have gotten older, they just help themselves to it. They know when they want some extra. They know they like to take it at night before they go to bed because they're always congested and it helps them breathe better at night and they can sleep better. It's just a beautiful thing. It really is.
Shannon (00:20:30) - Your, probably, biggest ambassadors, promoters for the company as a whole!
Jessica (00:20:36) - They love it. And you know, going back to just the story I shared earlier about my childhood and then seeing that full circle with my daughter, it's just so beautiful seeing that they can take something natural and they know the effects. They know that it works, they know it's effective. And then hopefully they can carry that on moving forward. You know?
Shannon (00:21:01) - I love it. (Yeah.) Well, who's been the biggest influence for you as a wife and a mom?
Jessica (00:21:06) - I think the first person that came to my mind was my husband. (Yeah?) I know, (Aw!) I know that sounds. I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but he was.
Shannon (00:21:14) - Yes! That's wonderful.
Jessica (00:21:15) - He was the first person that came to mind, You know? Gosh, Jake's leadership skills are amazing. And I feel like stepping into this business, it's like, yes, it's my baby and I want to make all the decisions and have the control. But even here recently, it's really stepping back and letting my team just flourish because they all come with such great skills. And Jake in particular. I want to be more like him. He's an amazing (Oh, that's sweet!) leader.
Jen (00:21:46) - Oh, yes.
Shannon (00:21:47) - He's definitely your biggest cheerleader. (Absolutely.) Just being around the two of you for so long. He — That's wonderful. (Yeah.) It's so sweet to see that.
Jessica (00:21:56) - Well, he's supported me from the very beginning. So, four months in, I remember it being April — so January was the Facebook post — the following April. I looked at him one night and I was just bawling my eyes out and I was done. At that point I was so burnt out. We were up till 1, 2, 3 o’clock in the morning, meeting people on weekends.
Jessica (00:22:16) - It was great. It was phenomenal to be able to have an impact on people. But working full time and having three kids under five and being up till that late? I was drained, all the things. But I remember looking at him and I was like, “You either have to quit your job or we're shutting it all down.” And his response? “If we find a commercial kitchen, I'm all in.” (Wow.) And he was supporting me from the very beginning and he always does. But yeah, he's been a big influence for sure.
Shannon (00:22:44) - That's so sweet.
Jen (00:22:45) - Was that kind of the moment when you realize, like, “Okay, this is it,” or was there something else that you turned and were like, “This is going to be successful and we're going all in.”
Jessica (00:22:55) - You wanna know what's crazy is, I was just kind of — we were just so going with the flow and everything was happening so fast and furious and God was moving in so many big ways, so fast, that I knew that we had to continue to step in because of the impact that we were making on people's lives.
Jessica (00:23:12) - And I think we knew that we were on to something, but we never really quite understood how to get there. And you also have to think, because this started with no intention of having a business, there really was no planning or business plan or looking at numbers and making sure that our prices were where they need to be. Like, I didn't know any of that stuff. So five years in, here we are; we're trying to report that foundation. (Yeah.) To set ourselves up for success at this point because we are all in and there is no turning back. We have a vision. We know where we're going. We know we're going. We know where we're headed. We didn't know that five years ago.
Shannon (00:23:53) - You started with the mason jars and things like that. What made you actually — like, where did you research? What — just the containers to have your product and the stickers to — all of that. I mean, I can't even imagine starting from scratch not knowing any of that information. I guess Googling maybe, But I mean, where did you go to try to find that information?
Jessica (00:24:13) - I had a lot of supplies shipped to our house looking at different websites. I knew that personally — again, what I wanted for my family — going back to it, I wanted a container that when you went to go pour it, it didn't drip all down the side. (Smart.) The frustration. The frustration, right? I mean, mason jars were terrible, right?
Shannon (00:24:32) - But, it was at the beginning...
Jessica (00:24:32) - Yeah. It was a big mess. And I knew that we wanted to step into retail partners so that our community would have access to getting it any time they needed it.
Shannon (00:24:43) - The Piggly Wiggly is where we are.
Jessica (00:24:46) - Yeah. And we've evolved so much, too. (Yeah.) It's like we used to be in more grocery stores and health food stores. And now we're shifting again with that vision and that foundation. We partner with holistic practitioners. We have affiliate partnerships. We're kind of shifting to who we're working with and where our vision is leading us.
Jessica (00:25:06) - We want to be known — and we are — that number one, premium elderberry supplementation across the country. I want every — it's like I just want our product in every home because it's improved our quality of life so much — and others — that I just want to be able to share that goodness. And I think that one-on-one education with a client; if you think about functional medicine practitioners that are educating and wanting the best of the best for their clients, right? They only recommend premium supplementation for a reason. And unfortunately, when you are in a store with 23 other elderberry products and the Power of Elderberries is sitting amongst the shelf, people don't have the education. (Yeah.) They don't know how our product is doing so much more than just the immune support that I shared with you earlier. (They're probably picking the cheapest.) Exactly. They're going with what's the cheapest? They don't know, really, how to read supplement facts panels. If I could even go into how much I've learned right through the research on just comparing and contrasting what we have to offer versus what really is out there on the shelves for most consumers to have access to.
Jessica (00:26:16) - It's incredible. Just really understanding, unfolding the ingredients. And that doesn't even go into third-party lab testing. I don't even know what that was before I started a company. (Yeah.) Right? FDA doesn't require third-party lab testing on supplementation. (Wow.) So if the manufacturer themselves don't take it upon themselves to get that done, there is no quality assurance and consumer safety.
Shannon (00:26:38) - That's kind of scary.
Jessica (00:26:39) - It's very scary. And I'll only buy supplements that are third-party lab tested from now on. And what that does, is it brings about the quality and the integrity of the business as well; of getting those ingredients individually tested for quality, for pesticides, for fertilizer sprays, for mold, for mildew. And then they test the product as a whole to make sure it's safe for consumers and the purity and the potency and all the things. And it's scary world out there, too; you know, Europe's got such high standards. If it was up to Europe to look at the ingredients the United States is using in our products, they would ban mostly all of them. (Yeah.) Their standards are so much higher. And that's why we choose to use the European black elderberry. Not only does the research —
Shannon (00:27:21) - Oh, I didn’t realize that.
Jessica (00:27:22) - Yeah. So we import them from Bulgaria. Everything's third-party lab tested. They're all certified organic. Europe has the highest standards. So I'll go with Europe's herbs anytime over ours. But it's the European black elderberry that also the research supports with the medicinal properties, the therapeutic compounds of the elderberry. So that gives me confidence, too, that we are using the best of the best when it comes to offering a premium elderberry supplementation.
Shannon (00:27:51) - Just a random question: how many elderberries do you guys go through in just a week time frame?
Jessica (00:27:55) - Oh my gosh. Gosh, I don't know if I know exactly the pounds.
Shannon (00:27:59) - It’s gotta be, like, insane.
Jessica (00:28:01) - And that's the beauty too, is, I've been able to step out of the production side of things. That would be a Chad question. Our director of operations. He'd be able to tell you. (Yeah). Going back to kind of where my role is now in the business, thankfully I don't have to make it anymore, but he and the production team would definitely have the answer.
Shannon (00:28:20) - Do you miss, though, making that?
Shannon (00:28:24) - Um, the short answer? No. (No?) People don't know this, but I can remember so many — and Jake can attest to this, too — nights crying, literally. Bawling my eyes out in the kitchen because after the brewing process, you then have to squeeze all the juice out of the elderberries, right? And I would have rubber kitchen gloves on and I would put them in, like, this mesh bag and try to squeeze out as much as I could. And then we were getting a wine press and trying to figure this out. But my hands would burn. (Oh!) So the heat would come — but I was trying to speed up the process as much as I could because I was so tired. But I would try to squeeze out every single little drop because I wanted, you know, just the every single little drop of those berries.
Jen (00:29:08) - You don't want to waste anything.
Jessica (00:29:09) - And the heat between my hands hurting, them burning, my arms, trying to figure out a process to get it to cool down faster… But then we would also make sure we didn't add the honey until after everything cooled. Because if honey gets above 95, 100 degrees, it starts breaking down all the therapeutic compounds that it has to offer. So even from the very beginning of myself making it all, these little quirks and things that I did for the processing not only made it a very long process, but some of the steps in it were very grueling in terms of just making sure that it was the best that could be.
Shannon (00:29:46) - So I guess now y'all have a cool machine that helps with that part.
Jessica (00:29:49) - And more muscles. You know, Chad, I mean, he can lift that 15-pound bucket of raw honey and dump it in, where I had to scoop it with little ladles and stuff. It is completely different.
Shannon (00:30:02) - I think this is a really, true behind the scenes — that would be really fun to see. (Yeah.) Just to see how... (Right?) Exactly.
Jessica (00:30:08) - So it was a lot of work and it still is. But the process has been refined. It's not cutting corners at all. And that's one thing we choose not to do. I stand firm and strong behind how the processing has to be, but we have the manpower now outside of myself that can really help us make more at one time.
Shannon (00:30:30) - Well, as a consumer, we're very grateful for you guys not cutting those corners and making sure that your products are safe and top notch.
Jessica (00:30:38) - Exactly. It's really important to me. Like, I was going on before, of just how much I've learned, you know? (Yeah.) And a lot of people don't know too, if a company doesn't take it upon themselves to register with the FDA, then they're never under the radar or ever inspected with the FDA. So there's a lot of things that people don't realize. I remember in college, in grad school, we watched this video, which I don't know why this just came to mind, but it was, like, this behind the scenes of this supplement company where they were filling capsules with chocolate Nesquik powder and selling them in bottles for like $50-75 a bottle in a kiosk in a mall. And they “under-covered” them and they figured it out and they, you know…
Jen (00:31:26) - Yeah.
Jessica (00:31:26) - Yeah, the law and all the things took their place in that story. But it kind of made me think of that story when it came to the FDA and the third-party lab testing and all the little things that we're doing. Where, who knows how many companies are cutting the corners and not doing those things. And then the consumer doesn't even know, Right? (Yeah.) And it's scary. It's really scary to think that that could be happening because…
Jen (00:31:54) - Is there anything to look for on packaging and that type of thing? Hopefully people would say that it's third-party lab testing, but is there any other qualifications or things that when we're looking at a bottle that we should look for when we're looking at this stuff in health food stores and stuff?
Jessica (00:32:10) - Well, it just makes me think to… like I used to teach my college students, the ingredient list tells you more about our product than anything else, right? So if you're wanting to steer clear on things that it kind of goes back to our free-from list, right? The added sugar, the artificial sweeteners, oftentimes elderberry supplementation have corn syrup, tapioca syrup or agave or other sweeteners they’re using. They add fillers, they add thickeners, they add dyes, they add added flavoring, they add concentrates, concentrates our code word for more sugar. Typically they're made out of fruit juices. A lot of gummies on the market have beef gelatin. They're animal byproducts. It's what creates that bouncing effect in your mouth. And that's why our bites don't have that, because we don't use beef gelatin. We use a vegan plant-based gelatin, instead, for the binding. And then we don't add preservatives to our liquid. So looking at the ingredient list is a first step, looking at the potency of the product. This is interesting. There is a national brand out there sitting in the health food store up the street whose elderberry gummies have 7.5mg of elderberry per one. Our one bite has 238. (Oh my goodness.) So I figured it out. I brought a calculator out, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is huge. You'd have to buy 43 bottles of that brand.” Mind you, it's 40 bucks for 120 count, so it sounds like it's a really good value.
Jessica (00:33:32) - You have to take four. So you're getting around 28mg of elderberry. You had to buy 43 bottles at $40 a bottle to our 1 bottle of 40, just in the potency level alone; not to mention all the sugar that's in the product. (Wow.) So, that's what I'm saying. My eyes have just been opened, of doing the research and doing my due diligence and making sure that not only can I educate and share how our product is different to our end consumer, but also again, going back to like what I went for my own family is what I want for your families, too.
Shannon (00:34:09) - I want to go back and see any of our vitamins that we take, just to check all that.
Jen (00:34:12) - I know. I mean, besides looking at the ingredients list, what are like a couple of quick tips for a mom who's like, “Yes, I want the best for my family, but I don't have the time to put in the research.” Do you have any quick, “Here's what you should be looking for”? Or “Here's something that every day, maybe you guys should be doing this.”?
Jessica (00:34:34) - One, make sure it's manufactured in a commercial kitchen. (Okay.) Not someone's home. That's why I wanted to get out of our home as quickly as possible. (Right.) Third-party lab testing is huge. FDA registered and inspected is huge.
Shannon (00:34:47) - And that's usually, though, on the label.
Jessica (00:34:49) - It's not.
Shannon (00:34:49) - It's not?
Jessica (00:34:50) - The FDA — No. Sometimes they'll put FDA labels on there, but there's no third-party lab testing or FDA label that's uniform for every business to use. (Oh, golly) Which really needs to happen. (Yeah, that would be simple enough, right?) (Yeah, that’s scary) I don't understand why. Yeah. So it's like even our third party lab testing logo? That was created by a marketing agency for us to put on our labels, but there's not a uniform one. And I think that that would be really, really important to know that this is the stuff they've taken and this is that patented logo that everyone knows to look for and it's on the label
Jen (00:35:23) - Like a recycling logo!
Shannon (00:35:22) - Yeah, exactly!
Jen (00:35:23) - We all know what it looks like. We know whether it’s recyclable or not.
Jessica (00:35:26) - But in terms of quality of product, just as a mom, I think the biggest thing for other moms to look for is the sugar. Like, hands down, right? Because even gummies. They might — I mean, here's the other thing: the FDA and other agencies are not overseeing all the time the marketing claims on supplements or vitamins. So even going back to that example I gave you, “Extra-strength Elderberry Immune Gummy.” Are you kidding me? Extra-strength? (Yeah.) Like — (What do you mean “extra-strength?”) — but it was 7.5mg. So that's my point, is like even the marketing claims — even when we purchase food, you know, they might be crying out, “Healthy, healthy, healthy, healthy.” But if you don't understand how to read a food label or a supplement label or look at those ingredients and really dig deeper, the marketing claims can say whatever they want to, you know? So, going back to the sugar, though, because gummies in particular are going to be loaded with sugar. Looking at the sugar content that's in them — and where is the sugar coming from? Ah, yeah.) Because very, very few, I would say we are probably in maybe the top 2% of products in the market that only use local raw honey. Even if you think about Zarbee's, Zarbee's is a national brand and they market, “Honey, honey, honey, honey, honey.”
Shannon (00:36:48) - They have the honeybee on the label!
Jessica (00:36:49) - They have the honeybee on the label. And guess what? Raw honey is not in any of their products. Not one.
Shannon (00:36:54) - Really. Wow.
Jessica (00:36:56) - No. Most of them have agave, which is completely different than honey. And even honey on a label is different than raw honey. Oftentimes, honey from the grocery store is going to have corn syrup in it. It cheapens the manufacturing process. (That makes sense.) So unless it says “raw honey” — and even better when it's local raw honey, right? Oh, my gosh. You talk about quality right there? There's your answer.
Shannon (00:37:20) - You said you use local raw honey.
Jessica (00:37:23) - In both products, yeah.
Shannon (00:37:24) - Do y'all I mean, this might sound funny, but do you guys have, like, a honeybee — like, what is it called? A beekeeper farm? (Yeah.) That you actually get your honey from?
Jessica (00:37:34) - So we partner with a local beekeeper. (Yeah. Okay.) Yeah. So we buy it by the bucketful. (Yeah.) So we use it, but they never heat-treat it. It's never processed — the thermal processing. This is something interesting to let you know, too. There's a lot of elderberry syrups on the market, of course, like the business is just so saturated. But if it's refrigerated — ours is refrigerated upon arrival. So our elderberry syrup liquid has to be kept cold. We don't add preservatives, right? If we thermal-processed our product, which is bottle filling at extremely high temperatures, it would become “refrigerate after opening.”
Shannon (00:38:14) - Like most of your medications.
Jessica (00:38:15) - Because the heat naturally helps preserve it. So a lot of companies do that. I mean, why wouldn't you? You could you could put more on your inventory racks. The shelf life would extend to two years or whatever it is, but mostly a couple of years.
Jessica (00:38:30) - And it would take away all the little things in the processing of keeping the product refrigerated, which would, at the end, save more money for the business. (Yeah.) But then what does that do for the consumer? You're not getting the benefits for your allergies. (Right.) And it doesn't have the same benefits as our product does because we choose not to thermal heat process it. Another option is we could add preservatives. If we added preservatives, it would bring down the PH level and our product could sit on the shelf with no refrigeration. But I refuse to do that. (Well, yeah.) Because that would change the whole product. (Absolutely.) It would change the flavor of the product. My daughter might not even like it anymore!
Shannon (00:39:12) - “And that was one of the main reasons we're starting this.”
Jessica (00:39:14) - Yeah. And, you know, it's like, I've really stood firm in making these decisions for our company because I know at the end of the day, we could save so much money, we could be profitable and all the things that come with cutting those corners. But it's like, I absolutely refuse. I just won’t do it.
Shannon (00:39:31) - Well, as parents, We appreciate you doing that. Just because you are truly standing behind your product. I mean, like you said, what you're going to give your family is what you want to be able to give out to the community. So that's huge.
Jen (00:39:40) - Your product is saving us from ourselves, basically. (Exactly.) Thank you for doing the research ahead of time for us.
Shannon (00:39:46) - Because I don't think I have the patience to do as much research. All these things — like I feel as if you were a chemist back in the day.
Jen (00:39:52) - I know I want to jump into my cabinet and look at all the medicine, like everything that I have or like the supplements that I take and do a research clinic now. Clean it all out.
Shannon (00:40:03) - And ever since I've been in this business, a lot of my characteristics and skill sets, personality traits. I mean, everything has been in the limelight. Like, really has opened my eyes to “Jessica,” and I'm very, very detail-oriented.
Shannon (00:40:19) - You've always been detail oriented — like, very.
Jessica (00:40:22) - Very detail-oriented. So that's a good thing in ways, but it can also be not so good in some other ways. So I've been having to balance that out. But, you know, my team members would be like, “Oh my gosh, I would have never picked up on that. I can't believe you noticed that.” But it's those details, though, that have to be there in order to have a premium product, too, and to take all those little steps and make sure that all the checks and balances are there.
Shannon (00:40:52) - Yeah. Well, was there a day that you just thought, “Okay, you know what, we've made it.” Like, I know that you guys continuously are growing, but when was that day when you were like, “Okay, this is what we want to do for life?” I know that you said when Jake decided to leave his job, but now that you guys are in so many different stores partnering with so many different holistic companies and different things, when was that time that was like, “All right, this is our goal.”
Jessica (00:41:19) - I think over the past ten months, (Okay.) we have completely flipped the business on its side and repoured the foundation all the way from creating different roles — what I'm going to do versus what Jake is going to do — because again, going back to trying to lead a business with your spouse, it can be very confusing. Like what's your role and how is that different than my role, right? But also getting a clear vision on, “What is our why?” (Yeah.) “Where are we really taking this? Can somebody help me lay out our mission and vision?” And it wasn't until — Rachel, if you're listening, I know you are probably, but — we hired Rachel, director of marketing, and she sat down with me for like four hours one day, and I just poured out my blood, sweat and tears in my why, of why I wanted to do this company. And she was able to put all my words in this beautiful document of vision, mission, goals, breaking everything down where that wasn't a skill set I had, to kind of organize it all, but just getting a clear vision on where we're going. So I would say probably within the last year is when we're kind of feeling more comfortable with where we are in moving forward with the business. And up to that point, just trying to survive, just trying to figure out, you know, again, the business and the operations and…
Shannon (00:42:50) - And then also keeping family aside from that as well.
Jessica (00:42:53) - Yeah, the SOPs, all the things that we had to do for the FDA. I mean, we've just been like constant just trying to survive and trying to get so much done. But I kind of feel like we're at a point now where it's like we're all on the same page. We know we're ahead. We know we're going, we know what our lanes are. We know what our roles are. We all want the same thing. And we're just working hard, you know, (I love it) just continuing to work hard.
Shannon (00:43:17) - Is that true strategic planning that you did?
Jen (00:43:20) - So this is a question we ask all of our guests, but the margarita in our title is a moment of bliss. It's a metaphor for that first sip of a margarita that you just get to take a breath. What gives you that moment of bliss and, just, happiness and calming?
Shannon (00:43:36) - Yeah, what a great question. I love that. The first thing that came to mind is, honestly, when customers are able to share their testimonials with us. And I hear it so often because I've stepped into working the farmers markets again and being face to face with our customers as we continue to grow our business and hearing their testimonials of that reiteration of, “There is purpose as to why.” “Jessica, I have called you to start this business and to lead this company and to do what you're doing.” Because there's often days where I’m crying myself to sleep. I want to throw in the towel. It's too hard. I'm not qualified. I don't want to do this. And also hearing that from friends and family, it made me think about my daughter.
Jessica (00:44:24) - Just the other day, she was sitting in the car next to me and she said, “Mom, I just want you to know that you're my favorite person and I just love spending time with you.”
Shannon (00:44:33) - Oh, that's like, what every, — of course — as a mom
Jen (00:44:36) - That’s so sweet.
Shannon (00:44:37) - Yes.
Jessica (00:44:39) - So those are the two things that came to my mind immediately, is just, like, the confirmation that Jessica wants to hear from the customer base to keep me encouraged that there is a purpose behind this. “You are changing my life. Keep doing what you're doing.” And then also hearing that from family because of the guilt that I might have at times. Right? In the throes of being a business owner and all the hard work that goes into it, to see that my children are still recognizing that I'm being a role model to them in their life.
Shannon (00:45:09) - They appreciate everything you're doing. That's so wonderful. All I think Jen and I both kind of teared up a little bit.
Jessica (00:45:16) - That's so sweet.
Jen (00:45:18) - So where can our listeners find more information about the Power of Elderberry, locally, as well as a national/regional scale?
Jessica (00:45:26) - Yeah, absolutely. I think the best thing would be go to our website, ThePowerOfElderberries.com. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. On our website, you'll have a list of all of our local partners that are here in our community that you could support as well. We ship nationwide, so any friends, family out of the area that would also like to order can order. We also have an auto replenish program on our website where you can save 15% when you get it shipped every month or every two months. And then we have an affiliate partnership with holistic practitioners that recommend our product. So all that information is on our website.
Jen (00:46:01) - Awesome.
Shannon (00:46:03) - Wonderful! Well, thank you so much for being here. We really — I think we're both now, we're already like, “Let's go check our medicine cabinets.” But we really appreciate all the information that you gave us today. And I can definitely attest to the fact that your product is amazing. My whole family uses it. So thank you for doing that and all that you're doing.
Jen (00:46:23) - And you just give me a sense of calm. You have an aura about you that is just beautiful, and I'm feeling it. (Awwww!) I have a sense of calm right now. (Thank you!) So thank you for, on a Friday afternoon, providing that for me.
Jessica (00:46:33) - I love that. Thank you for sharing. (Yes!) I love you guys. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
Shannon (00:46:38) - Thank you so much for being on today. And for all of our listeners out there, if you do have any questions, suggestions or feedback, please email us at MyrtleMomsWithMargs@VisitMyrtleBeach.com. That's MyrtleMomsWithMargs@VisitMyrtleBeach.com. We would love to hear from you.
Jen (00:46:54) - Yes, and please go give us a rating. We hope that it's five stars and we want to hear your comments and feedback as well. You can follow us on our social media @MyrtleMomsWithMargs. Again, Instagram and Facebook at MyrtleMomsWithMargs. (Yeah, that's it, ladies.) Good. Thank you so much.
Both (00:47:11) - Cheers!
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