Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Heusing.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When our oldest son was diagnosed with autism as well as his brother not long after, everything changed for us. After the initial shock, I rolled up my sleeves to get to work. That’s what we do as moms, right? We do whatever it takes for our children.
I began researching a more natural and holistic approach to treating the underlying issues of autism and just life in general. The first change was our diet and this would lead to an overhaul of our home and personal care products. Even with these changes, the boys were still constantly sick and seemed to bring home every single illness from school. Add in a husband who is an educator and someone was always sick. I needed something to support their immune system and I found elderberry syrup. When I could not get them to take the store bought syrup with ingredients that fell short of our new standards I began making my own. Everyone was sick less and we even saw a difference in seasonal allergies that year.
In December of 2019, I was ordering more berries to make syrup and thought, “Why don’t I share this with the neighbors?” A Facebook post later, and I was making huge batches of syrup for neighbors, friends and family. Now we have an amazing local customer base, sell at numerous farmers markets and retail locations as well as shipping nationwide. We feel so grateful to be even a small part of your wellness journey. I never dreamed I would go from stay-at-home mom to making gallons of organic elderberry syrup but Sweet Southern Elderberry was born!
There are very few options for autistic adults once they age out of the school system and this has always been a huge fear of ours. They need a place to learn skills and deserve a job where they can feel pride in their work. Not many exist so we created one!
We have expanded to eight farmers markets around the city as well as a few retail spots. Our product lineup has expanded as well and while elderberry will always be our main passion we are a true wellness company offering non-toxic options for the whole family.
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?
Starting a business if not for the faint of heart. Small business owners pour everything into their startups. I would say time is our biggest hurdle having three young children and being a special needs family.
We strive to create clean products for families and that takes time and love!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sweet Southern Elderberry?
We are a small business offering products for a non-toxic lifestyle. Our original focus has been elderberry products in an effort to boost immunity but along the way we have become a wellness company that is more than how we began.
We have a wonderful lineup of products that are safe for the entire family and focus on clean, chemical -free living.
I am most proud of our mission. We set out to create a safe space for our two boys with autism to work, learn skills and take ownership in those areas.
There are very few options for autistic adults once they age out of the school system and this has always been a huge fear of ours. They need a place to learn skills and deserve a job where they can feel pride in their work. Not many exist so we created one!
We strive to be a disability friendly company and hope to grow and employ other special needs adults.
What matters most to you?
On a deep level, what matters most to me is that I build something for my boys while offering products that align with the healthy lifestyle we encourage.
I do not offer anything that we do not also use for our family of five and I care deeply that the products offered for your family are of the highest quality.
Pricing:
- $1-45 Strive to keep prices low for families
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sweetsouthernelderberry.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sweetsouthernelderberry
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/sweetsouthernelderberry
Image Credits
All images are my own. Jennifer Heusing
