Small Business Spotlight: Myla Meier, Owner of Sweet Bee Honey

Welcome to Small Business Spotlight, a new series here at Twin Cities Frugal Mom featuring small business owners in the Twin Cities metro area whose businesses offer goods or services that appeal to moms and families!

My next Small Business Spotlight guest is Myla Meier, Owner of Sweet Bee Honey which you can find on Etsy.com and is based in Maple Grove.

I’ve purchased honey from Myla a few times (our family loves honey and hers is great!) and I have some of her beeswax candles which are beautiful. She has some fantastic gift sets which are perfect for holiday season giving! See below for a coupon code good for 10% off!

1) Tell me what your business is and what you do.

Sweet Bee Honey is a small business which makes soaps, candles, lip balms and gifts made from products of the hive. I use beeswax and sometimes honey in my products.

2) How did your business get started?

It began as a hobby really. I started beekeeping 4 years ago with two hives. While at a honey extracting demo, we saw a few of the things we could make with our beeswax – like small candles and lip balm. Cookies and other food made from honey. I purchased a small candle mold to make with my own candles. I quickly realized that wax from two hives wasn’t going to make many candles so I began to purchase more from another beekeeper and my candle-making grew from there. Soapmaking has been something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I bought a kit to give it a try. It’s been growing since then.

3) What kinds of clients do you serve?

I serve neighbors, friends, and others looking for local honey. I sell online to people looking for handmade products. Cold-processed soap seems to have it’s own following, although most of my soap is sold in my gift sets. People who purchase beeswax candles are looking for clean, non-toxic candles and they find that with beeswax candles.

4) What do you like best about the work you do?

I really enjoy all of it! It started with beekeeping and that has been an amazing adventure. It wasn’t something I ever thought I would do but once I started I wondered why I hadn’t discovered this hobby earlier. The honeybee is an amazing social insect and I’ve enjoyed learning about the social system of the hive. I have an environmental studies degree and I’ve always liked plants and trees and part of beekeeping is knowing what’s in bloom and what’s available for the honeybees to gather nectar and pollen from. I also like to create gift sets with my products.

5) How can people find out more about Sweet Bee Honey?

I have an etsy shop at www.SweetBeeHoney.etsy.com and a facebook page at www.facebook.com/sweetbeehoneycrafts.

6) What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies/other interests?

I am a stay-at-home mom, which I have enjoyed. I like to volunteer at my kids school when I can, either directly in school or through other projects – I plant the container gardens at my daughter’s school. I’m a co-leader of my daughter’s girl scout troop. I’ve also been involved in the local beekeeper’s club, the Minnesota Hobby Beekeeper’s Association, first as secretary for the last two years and my new volunteer position as editor of the newsletter. While I’m not doing these things, I enjoy spending time outside, or reading, and knitting.

Right now, Twin Cities Frugal Mom readers can get 10% off an order from Sweet Bee Honey in her etsy.com store by using coupon code frugalmom.

If you’d like to be featured here or know someone who should be, please contact me at twincitiesfrugalmom@gmail.com.