Meet The Elderberry Queen, Celeste Kellie
Celeste Kellie is the founder of Merry Little Elderberry, a small business based in Tingha NSW – but that’s not all. She’s also a dedicated foodie, a mum, and a gardener, and she’s fiercely passionate about finding alternative ways to keep your family healthy. Read more about Merry Little Elderberry and what inspires Celeste below.
Tell us a little about Merry Little Elderberry…
Our story began on 28 August 2017 when I met an organic farmer who also grew elderberries in the Northern Rivers. He gave me a cutting from one of his elder trees with the view of growing the flowers. I’ve always had a love for elderflowers – you could even call it a lifelong love affair. I adore their floral and delicate taste and their crisp palate-cleansing finish.
After I had my first child, I discovered elderberries had formed in place of elderflowers in the autumn of 2019, and fell in love with the benefits and the ways they can help people. I started to experiment with elderberry recipes and made some syrup and elderberry gummy bears which I then posted on Facebook – everyone went nuts. I sold the whole lot without even trying.
Then during COVID-19, the demand for elderberries skyrocketed and I started making elderberry syrup packs. Things started to snowball and now here we are – a small business based in Tingha, NSW. We use elderberries to create old-fashioned remedies with a sophisticated and modern touch, cultivating nourishing, natural and handmade botanicals.
We’ve got a one-acre property with 20 plants in the ground and another 50 or so in a nursery, so we have 75 elderberry plants in total. We don’t currently grow enough to supply everything we sell, so we source them from a certified organic supplier and, in the future, we plan to buy a much bigger property so that we can continue to grow the business. We’ve also just opened a production space in Inverell in the Australian Hotel, so we’re super happy with that.
What has been your most memorable moment in business?
The most memorable moment for me is when I first started, and up until just a few weeks ago. I’d to go to bed at eight and wake up between two and four o’clock in the morning to work until six or seven when my daughter wakes up – then we would start our day together. I’ve done that for three years and my body clock’s still trying to adjust. Getting up in the wee hours of the morning to pack was hard, but now that I have my space in Inverell I can start working the same hours as everyone else.
If you could give someone one piece of advice about starting a small business, what would it be?
Find something you're passionate about and something you believe in. You’re always going to find a reason why something won’t work or why you shouldn’t do it, but push through and focus on the positives. Be diligent, consistent, focused and dedicated then find a way to make it happen.
