Edible Food Find: Gumption Elixer Co.
Photos by Michael Piazza
Come summer, if you’re looking for Ingrid Gallagher, just head to your local farmers market and ask for the syrup lady. “That’s what the kids call me,” says Gallagher, the founder of Gumption Elixir Co., a one-woman business based in Arlington. Gumption Elixir Co. is indeed all about syrups, made lovingly in small batches in a tantalizing array of flavors brewed from whole roots, herbs, spices and organic cane sugar, from local sources when possible.
At farmers markets from Arlington to Belmont, Roslindale and beyond, Gallagher welcomes shoppers at the Gumption Elixir table brimming with bottles of colorful syrup in seven distinctive flavors including Chai Me! and Roots Beer. Seasonal varieties feature Elderberry Sparkle, Cranbrenna and new fan favorite Blue Moon Mint.
Gallagher offers samples and serving suggestions—they add flair to sparkling water and hot and iced teas, and jazz up cocktails and mocktails. They can be used for root beer floats or added to baked goods and fruit compotes.
“I get wonderful ideas from my customers, which I love because it’s such a reciprocal community,” Gallagher says. She also delivers and takes back empty bottles. “I love that idea of being part of a community where people know who I am and I know them.”
Gallagher, who grew up in Missouri, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, was most influenced by her grandmother, who taught her to forage. They’d pick dandelions in the spring. Everything was put to use, canned and preserved, Gallagher recalls. Over the years, Gallagher followed in her grandmother’s footsteps, making jellies and jams, and the company’s name is a tribute to her. “Grammy had gumption in spades,” says Gallagher, who spent decades working in a variety of positions, from the film industry to advertising and mission-driven nonprofits, including the zoo in Philadelphia.
In the last decade, Gallagher began exploring the healing qualities of herbs. She found a natural way to combine her interests by creating syrups from local, seasonal ingredients. Her inspiration was further sparked by old-fashioned soda fountains, first experienced at a family-owned pharmacy in Philadelphia. She discovered that these neighborhood establishments often crafted their root beer and other fizzy drinks using syrup bases with medicinal origins.
Gallagher’s foray into Gumption Elixir Co. took root during the pandemic, when her consulting work slowed down. She began bottling syrups in her kitchen, experimenting with roots and barks and herbs that she foraged in nearby woods and fields. Gallagher’s friends and family were her taste-testers.
To take it to the next business level, Gallagher rented commercial kitchen space at The Roasted Granola, a café in Arlington. Later, she shifted operations to the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, where she’s a congregant. She’s there on Mondays, when the large kitchen space isn’t used. It’s her private, spiritual moment, she reflects.
In 2021, she tested the retail waters, selling Gumption Elixir syrups at the Arlington Farmers Market and hasn’t looked back since. Her passion for local markets is a way to stay engaged with her customers and the community.
“The heat [at the market] can be brutal,” she admits. “I’m always exhausted when I come home, but it’s a good tired. Usually, I’ve met some new friends, seen old friends and it’s really great to interact with people about food.”
By this summer, with a new wholesale license, Gallagher anticipates that Gumption Elixir Co. syrups will be available to a larger audience on the shelves at Roasted Granola Café, Berman’s Wine and Spirits in Lexington and in hard seltzers and soft drinks served at Arlington Brewing Co. events. More retail locations will be announced soon.
“I want to be part of a culture that supports community, where people know each other, have each other’s best interests at heart and stay connected to the land,” Gallagher says. “That I get to make these folks happy with tasty drinks is the proverbial cherry on top.”
IG: @gumption_elixirs; FB: @GumptionElixirCompany or email GumptionElixirs@gmail.com.
This story appeared in the Summer 2026 issue.
