We recently connected with Laura DiSalvo and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
Laura’s Elderberry appreciates their customers each order, by offering a loyalty card. Each order you will see a loyalty card stamped, and the customer will collect their cards and receive a free product up to $20 with every 12 stamps. I have seen SO many happy customers when they get their free product. It is a blessing to provide that to them, as they have earned that free product in my mind. Their loyalty means more to me than that price of the product. I know they will share, love, and refer me to friends and neighbors which in turn is a great relationship.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
About me: My name is Laura, and I am a mother of two girls. I have a degree in biology and a master’s in biotechnology business management (Staying at home now with this business!)
How I got into this business: It was maybe about 6-7 years ago that my first daughter started preschool/daycare and kept coming home sick every two weeks- like clockwork. I was going crazy trying to find a good product to provide to her that would keep her healthy and make the illnesses leave her system quicker. I was told about elderberry by a neighbor friend, and then it went from there. Few people sold it around me, but nothing really was that great tasting. It was either too watery or too thick. I ended up creating a recipe for my family that got recognized quickly via word of mouth. In 2019 we started to make it a real business. We received our permit, created a space at a commercial kitchen and I am very proud to say we put lots of love and attention into each of our products for our Tampa Bay customers!
Type of products we sell: I am proud to offer high-quality elderberry products including syrups, gummies, DIY kits and Seamosses that are made from a commercial licensed kitchen. We are proud to offer high-quality organic products with no preservatives from our family to yours; our motto: “Wellness for the whole family”. Our Elderberry Syrups are in various sizes; 8 oz, 16 oz, and 32 oz. These have our immune-boosting spices and local raw honey. We also offer keto and diabetic options for those with more sensitive diet restrictions, and we use monk fruit or swerve. Under 1 years old, we would use agave. We offer “Do it yourself” kits, dried berries, gummies, seamoss gels as well.
So what makes me different from all the others ? First off, I don’t use an instant pot for temperature reasons. I make each batch small enough that I can monitor each batch. Since overcooking elderberry is common, I ensure all the goodness (vitamins and minerals) is never denatured (killed off). You are buying a quality product when you get it from me because I LOVE what I do.
What problems do we solve? During various times of the year, many people look to improve their health and immune system, and we offer these products to help relieve these yearly or seasonal ailments as best as we can.
What are we most proud about? We are so proud of how much our business has grown, and the recommendations. I am so taken back that you truly love what I make, and I sometimes think it’s a dream. I absolutely love making craft elderberry and the products to the community and I am so blessed the community enjoys what I’ve created.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe what has helped me build my reputation within my market, is consistency, growth and shareability. When someone tries your product, and enjoys it, they want to make sure it’s consistent within limits and want to make sure if they buy it again and again, it’s what they know and enjoy. I have tried within my limits (product availability and natural food variances), to stay consistent and always improving. As we are able to grow, we are able to expand our product base, new ideas, and our customers love that. Our reputation has been built and still growing due to our beautiful brand logo, and how much fun it is to share our products to friends and family on social media. Shareability is very important in our world now; our labels and professional bottles are pleasant and fun to look at; so our customers will share their order with friends on Facebook and instagram and it has helped a lot!
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Previously to me creating craft elderberry for our community, I worked in the science field for many years, taught, worked in labs, and more recently stayed home raising my girls. Creating elderberry syrup was a side gig for me making it for my own friends and family which then turned into their friends and family, which then turned into more and more people. I realized I was getting too big, and the state prefers you to work in a commercial kitchen rather than your own. I scaled first by finding a location to cook in, buying better and more professional glassware, high quality ingredients, creating social media accounts and obviously to be permitted, licensed and insured. I wanted my products to be at farms, stores and in all homes possible. I am still working on getting my products out more, but I am pleased and happy where I currently am at, which is mainly selling online, and handing my product to the consumer myself. Some of my key milestones, has been getting to 2,000 likes on our Facebook page, which may not sound a lot to you, but it does to me! We love all of our interviews and articles we have done, and obviously each one is such an amazing experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lauraselderberry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraselderberryllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurasElderberry
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/HfMgKGgRyPhYmPSs9
Image Credits
Headshot photo of Laura DiSalvo: by Misty Jones Photograpy