Huge news for our friends at Myers Mushrooms

Photo of Eric Myers and his daughter standing in front of a bottling machine.

Myers Mushrooms announced today that their bottling line is fully assembled! In addition to more great mushroom products from Eric and his team, that also means we can make even more LionBerry Restorative Refresher this summer to keep you hydrated. Our founder Bevin Brooks said it best in her comment: “No Sleep till HYDRATION! We […]

Elderberry and Regenerative Farming

Photo of an elderberry plant. It's a light green color with white flower buds.

Elderberry is an EASY way to start Regenerative Farming Practices! Elderberry plays a beneficial role in REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE! 1. PREVENTS SOIL EROSION because elderberry has an extensive root systems that help stabilize soil and prevent erosion, especially in areas prone to runoff. 2. Suitable for Marginal Lands: Elderberry can thrive in soil considered less productive […]

Lionberry: Community Connections

Kevin (Bevin's husband) in the food Innovation Accelerator commercial kitchen with Bryan Severns.

One of the most important parts of our day-to-day work is the ability to lift other local businesses along the way. Here are just a few of the ways we incorporate them: Ingredients Marketing We are also part of the Elder Farms Collective which includes 20-plus farms we buy additional elderberry from if we run […]

How to Enjoy our Elderberry Products

Let’s talk elderberry! We often have customers ask when or how to take our products for the maximum effect. We hope these tips below help to answer your questions. How often should I elderberry? I like to take it every day for immune support and inflammation. Peer-reviewed published research studies show that the anti-inflammatory effect […]

Fortifying the Heartland: My Christmas Wish for Hy-Vee.

Lionberry 's Weekly Delusion and Re-illusion Update.

This week’s delusion is pretending our grocery stores don’t have a weak point.

This week’s re-illusion is remembering that strength comes from building on what already works, not acting like we’re starting from scratch.

Hy-Vee does a really good job bringing in local barbecue sauces, jams, honey, and other value-added foods from the Heartland.

We’re not starting from zero.

But we are starting from small.

So I handed Santa a LionBerry and gave him my Christmas list:

A fortified Hy-Vee — one that expands the Heartland section that already exists into a full, accessible, stocked-every-day aisle for local foods.

Not to replace the global or national imports like Florida oranges, California almonds, Mexico avocados, pineapple juice from Thailand, or coastal produce —

but to stand beside them, so the region isn’t left vulnerable the next time anything shakes the system:

  • fuel shortages
  • war
  • trucking strikes
  • geopolitics
  • water shortages
  • drought or dust-bowl conditions
  • port disruptions
  • cyber hits
  • natural disasters

Any one of these can break a supply chain.

A fortified regional shelf — built from the farms around Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska — keeps us fed.

The World Cup is coming to Kansas City.

Soccer tourists from Germany, Brazil, Japan, everywhere — living in Airbnbs for three to six weeks, shopping at Hy-Vee for everything from breakfast to body soap.

If we went to Germany, we’d want Wienerschnitzel.

If we went to Brazil, we’d want feijoada.

If we went to Japan, we’d want ramen or sushi that actually tastes like Japan.

So when they come to the Heartland, they don’t want a New York hot dog or a California cheeseburger.

They want us — the real Midwest.

What do we grow and make here?

  • local barbecue sauces
  • local fruit like blueberries
  • corn tortillas, tomato sauces, and beans
  • wheat pastas and breads
  • value-added soaps made from beef tallow
  • local meat, dairy, and eggs
  • elderberry drinks

And soccer tourists staying in AirBnB’s need actual essentials:

  • dish soap
  • cleaning agents
  • body soap and hygiene products
  • breakfast foods
  • snacks
  • drinks
  • basics
  • dinners

This is exactly why a stronger Heartland aisle matters — not just for crisis, but for culture, tourism, and everyday life.

This week’s delusion is pretending our grocery stores don’t have a weak point.
This week’s re-illusion is remembering that strength comes from building on what already works, not acting like we’re starting from scratch.

Hy-Vee does a really good job bringing in local barbecue sauces, jams, honey, and other value-added foods from the Heartland.
We’re not starting from zero.
But we are starting from small.

So I handed Santa a LionBerry and gave him my Christmas list:

A fortified Hy-Vee — one that expands the Heartland section that already exists into a full, accessible, stocked-every-day aisle for local foods.

Not to replace the global or national imports like Florida oranges, California almonds, Mexico avocados, pineapple juice from Thailand, or coastal produce —
but to stand beside them, so the region isn’t left vulnerable the next time anything shakes the system:

  • fuel shortages
  • war
  • trucking strikes
  • geopolitics
  • water shortages
  • drought or dust-bowl conditions
  • port disruptions
  • cyber hits
  • natural disasters

Any one of these can break a supply chain.
A fortified regional shelf — built from the farms around Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska — keeps us fed.

The World Cup is coming to Kansas City.
Soccer tourists from Germany, Brazil, Japan, everywhere — living in Airbnbs for three to six weeks, shopping at Hy-Vee for everything from breakfast to body soap.

If we went to Germany, we’d want Wienerschnitzel.
If we went to Brazil, we’d want feijoada.
If we went to Japan, we’d want ramen or sushi that actually tastes like Japan.

So when they come to the Heartland, they don’t want a New York hot dog or a California cheeseburger.
They want us — the real Midwest.

What do we grow and make here?

  • local barbecue sauces
  • local fruit like blueberries
  • corn tortillas, tomato sauces, and beans
  • wheat pastas and breads
  • value-added soaps made from beef tallow
  • local meat, dairy, and eggs
  • elderberry drinks

And soccer tourists staying in Airbnbs need actual essentials:

  • dish soap
  • cleaning agents
  • body soap and hygiene products
  • breakfast foods
  • snacks
  • drinks
  • basics
  • dinners

This is exactly why a stronger Heartland aisle matters — not just for crisis, but for culture, tourism, and everyday life.

A shared warehouse, a shared distributor, and a unified block of local makers would let regional foods move with the same efficiency as national brands — while staying rooted right here.

Tourists will buy it.
Locals will keep it.
And if anything ever shakes the world, a fortified Hy-Vee keeps the Heartland standing.

That’s what I told Santa.
That’s my wish this year.
And that’s exactly what LionBerry is built to help do — bottle by bottle, aisle by aisle.