Catching Up with Our Friends at Siren Shrub

How exciting that we get to mix with Siren Shrub again for our Sunny Shores curation? Needless to say, we are fans. Not only because their products are thoughtfully made, absolutely delicious, versatile in use, and always a crowd favorite when we host, but also because we admire the care behind everything they create. Their products are such a perfect example of how a blend can go beyond what’s in the bottle and become an experience of its own. Read through our recent chat with co-founders Mindy and Layne to learn more about how it all started, what they’re creating, and the people and intention behind it all.

Okay... what the heck is a shrub?!

A shrub is a historical beverage made from a few simple ingredients. Our shrubs combine organic apple cider vinegar, organic cane sugar, maple syrup or honey, and then a fruit, root, or herb.

Historically, shrubs were a way of preserving the season’s bounty by combining vinegar and sugar. The result is this tangy, complex simple syrup that is incredibly delicious and versatile.

We like to think of shrubs as a little bit of preservation, a little bit of craft, and a whole lot of flavor.

How did the two of you first discover shrubs, and what made you think, “We should totally start this!”? We’d love to hear how it all began.

Back in 2010, we met at a local coffee shop and cafe in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Mindy was the manager of the coffee shop, and Layne worked in the cafe while she was in town completing her master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems.

We were both really into canning, fermentation, and gardening, so an instant friendship was formed in the kitchen. We started making jams, jellies, salsas, and pretty much anything else we could get our hands on.

Eventually, that evolved into co-creating products to sell at our local farmers market. Then Layne came across a New York Times article about shrubs, and we were immediately intrigued. We started experimenting with all of the Wisconsin produce we could get our hands on, even purchased a second refrigerator just to store all of the experimental bottles.

We brought those early concoctions to the farmers market and realized pretty quickly that we weren’t just giving people a product. We were giving them an experience they hadn’t had before. No one knew what shrubs were, which meant there was so much opportunity to educate, experiment, and create.

So we jumped in fully and started building a shrub business.

Can you tell us a little more about Siren Shrub? We’d love to know what you feel makes it so special and what you hope people experience when they discover it.

Our motto is, “Creating space at the table for everyone, regardless of their drinking preferences.”

Shrubs are unique in a lot of ways, but their complex flavor and versatility are what really set them apart from other non-alcoholic drinks. They have this bite that tingles in your mouth in the best possible way. It’s a component that can sometimes be missing when you aren’t drinking alcohol, and shrubs really scratch that itch.

We hope people discover that a drink doesn’t have to be complicated to feel special. Sometimes it’s just a splash of shrub, sparkling water, a good glass, and a little time to enjoy it.

One thing we absolutely love about Siren Shrub is your commitment to sourcing locally. Can you chat a little more about who you work with and why that’s such an important part of your story?

We’re really proud of our commitment to partnering with local farmers. We believe deeply in sustainable food systems, and we love that every flavor we produce has a Wisconsin farm partnership behind it.

The fresh ingredients really shine in our products, and every flavor we create is limited by what we can access here in Wisconsin. And if you know Wisconsin, you know that for a good portion of the year, it is cold. Really cold. The growing season here is brief, but it is also incredibly special, lush, and bountiful.

We get to capture that feeling in every bottle.

There’s something really meaningful about taking an ingredient that was grown down the road, at the absolute peak of its season, and preserving that moment so people can experience it long after the fields have gone quiet. We love that our core values aren’t just something we talk about. They show up in the way we actually make our products.

We’d love to know what it’s like being in business with your best friend!

We get this question a lot because we’re often told NOT to go into business with friends or family.

Honestly, that’s probably solid advice most of the time.

Early on, we made a commitment to each other to say the hard things, have the uncomfortable conversations, and build a business around trust and love for one another. There have been plenty of hard conversations over the years, but one of our greatest successes in eight years of business is that we truly remain best friends.

We can both attest that working with your best friend is one of the most magical things. We’re incredibly lucky in the way we complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Some of it is luck, but a lot of it is commitment. We’ve always tried to put our friendship before the business, and we think that has made all the difference.

If you each had to share three reasons why you love creating and building Siren Shrub together, what would they be?

Oh man. The laughter, because that just naturally happens when you work alongside your best friend.

Being able to show up as your whole self at work feels really good.

And watching this little idea we had come to life, and then evolve into so many different iterations over and over again. There’s something pretty incredible about watching an idea grow alongside you.

Looking back, is there a memory while creating Siren Shrub that still makes you smile every time you think about it?

One of our favorite and funniest moments happened at a market when a customer approached us to learn more about our company and confidently said, “This must be a mother-daughter company.”

We just about died laughing and immediately started trying to figure out, “Okay, but who is the mother?” We’re only five years apart!

Generally speaking, though, when we reflect on the company as a whole, we can’t help but smile. We are so darn proud of this little beverage company and all of the amazing things we’ve gotten to build and experience together.

Has there been a moment, customer story, or piece of feedback that really surprised you or has stuck with you over the years?

We have all these little mottos that have developed naturally over the years of doing business, but the one that has stuck with us since the very beginning, and that we still find ourselves saying out loud weekly, is: “Fluid and flexible.”

Things are always changing. Plans change. Seasons change. Businesses change. Life changes.

That mindset has helped us learn to pivot, adapt, and keep moving forward instead of getting too attached to the idea that everything has to go according to plan.

Can you share a fun fact about Siren Shrub that you think our community would never guess?

Our Basil Shrub has been one of our top two best-selling flavors since 2017. It’s a total showstopper.

We partner with White Feather Organics, and when the basil fields are ready, thousands of pounds of basil are harvested in one swoop and immediately processed into shrub so we can capture that peak-season freshness.

Can you imagine driving a box truck filled with thousands of pounds of basil to our co-packer?

It smells pretty unbelievable.

What does gathering around a good drink look like for you, and what do you hope Siren Shrub brings to those moments?

It looks like a good sparkling drink with people we love, or a quiet moment with a drink that feels purposeful and delicious.

For us, it’s a ritual. Shrubs make it incredibly simple to create that moment. A splash of shrub in sparkling water, a deep breath, and a little pause can be the perfect end cap to a day.

As we soak up the last little bit of summer, we’d love to know: what’s your favorite way to enjoy one of your shrubs? Bonus points if you share a recipe our community can make at home!

Our favorite way is simple: sparkling water with an ounce of shrub.

You can mix up the flavors based on your mood, which is part of the fun. But if you want something a little more complex, try a Cucumber Basil Soda. It’s fresh, bright, and a really lovely way to enjoy Basil Shrub.

Besides mixing them into drinks, do you find yourselves using your shrubs in any other ways? We’d love to hear some of your favorite unexpected uses!

YES! That’s one of the things that makes shrubs so unique.

In the kitchen, we think of shrub almost like an acid. If something needs to be brightened up, add a splash of shrub. Broths, marinades, sauces, salad dressings... there are so many possibilities.

Honestly, one of our favorite uses is the simplest salad dressing in the world: Basil Shrub, stone-ground mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

That’s it. And it is so, so good.

If someone was on the fence about trying a shrub, what is one reason you’d tell them they need one in their fridge?

Because it just makes everything better, brighter, and more delicious.

And because it’s fun to try something new.

Shrubs are truly an experience, not just a beverage. They give you a whole new way to think about what you can put in a glass, and once you have a bottle in your fridge, you start seeing all the ways you can use it.

And finally... what are you raising your glass to today?

Doing business in a way that aligns with our values.
Laughing with your best friend around a campfire with a good drink in hand.
Dirty hands in the garden.
Soaking up the last of summer.
Eating fresh heirloom tomatoes.
And feeling really grateful for all of it.