With Earth Day upon us and so many significant changes to our planet as a result of people staying inside, we jumped at the chance to chat with Canadian entrepreneur Carly Stein, founder and CEO of Beekeeper’s Naturals—a wellness brand that makes incredible beehive-inspired products while helping to save the world’s most popular pollinators year-round: the bees. —Vita Daily
Hi Carly! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.
As the CEO and founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals, people are usually surprised to hear that I wasn’t always obsessed with bees. In fact, I never really intended to start my own company. Beekeeper’s Naturals has been the culmination of an incredible, organic journey that started with my autoimmune condition. Growing up, I wasn’t able to tolerate traditional antibiotics, and I struggled with a weak immune system and recurring tonsillitis. On a semester abroad in Europe, my tonsillitis got particularly severe. I was desperate, so an Italian pharmacist gave me a weird bottle of this stuff called propolis. I had no idea what it was, but after barely a week of taking this propolis extract, my tonsils had returned to almost normal! For the first time in my life, something had finally worked for me. Of course, when I returned home, I couldn’t find propolis anywhere. Instead of giving up, I began apprenticing with a local beekeeper to learn how to sustainably harvest propolis for myself. (That’s when I fell in love with bees.) Using some basic chemistry knowledge, I formulated the first iteration of our flagship immune support product (Propolis Throat Spray) for my friends and family. Word travelled fast, and pretty soon I could barely keep up with demand, but I didn’t really consider making a business out of it. I graduated school and got a stable job on Wall Street, leaving my dreams behind. I quickly found myself working on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs. I was successful, but I soon realized I was deeply unhappy. So I sat down with myself and did some deep work. I knew I wanted my work to make a difference in the world and I knew I wanted to help people. On a gut instinct, I decided to launch this wild idea for making hive-powered clean remedies. People thought I was crazy (my friends legit held interventions), but I took a very big leap, invested all my savings in this idea, started hustling … and Beekeeper’s Naturals was born.
How—and why—does Beekeeper’s Naturals incorporate "beehive-inspired" ingredients into its products?
After experiencing the healing nature of bee products firsthand, I am on a mission to share them with the world. That’s why every single one of our clean and natural remedies is powered by the incredible products from the beehive. (Bees make more than honey!) At Beekeeper’s Naturals, we turn to the "hive pharmacy"—propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen, and raw honey—as the powerful starting point for each of our products. Propolis is my immune-support essential. It is packed with soothing antioxidants and is a powerful germ-fighter. The bees plaster it on all the hive walls to keep the hive healthy. Royal jelly nourishes brain and skin health and supports mental clarity. It is the primary food source of the queen bee. Bee pollen is nature’s multivitamin. It’s rich in clean protein, essential amino acids, energizing B vitamins, and minerals like calcium and magnesium. In fact, it contains more protein per gram than any animal source! And raw honey is a powerful nourisher and soother that promotes calmness and balance throughout the body.
Tell us about your ongoing mission to #SaveTheBees! In light of Earth Day, why is this such an important objective?
Bees are in trouble. And that means humans are in trouble, too. Due to widespread habitat loss, increased use of pesticides like neonicotinoids, and climate change, global bee populations are on the decline. Honey bee populations have continually suffered massive losses for over a decade. Meanwhile, one in four wild bee species in the US is at risk of extinction. Our planet needs its pollinators. Bees are crucial to the diversity of our planet and pollinate ⅓ of our foods. Many wild plants, foraging animals, and even livestock would suffer if bees disappear—and you can say goodbye to delicious foods like apples, berries, almond milk, and guacamole. That’s why Beekeeper’s Naturals serves as a platform to help raise awareness and save the bees. We do this through promoting and practicing sustainable beekeeping as well as partnering with bee research non-profits.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what one Beekeeper’s Naturals product would you have with you, and why?
It would 100 per cent be our Propolis Throat Spray: our flagship product and the product that really changed my life. Propolis is really an incredible substance. It was used by the ancient Romans and Egyptians for so many purposes—from healing battle wounds to beautifying the skin. I use it every day for immune support, but it also has been widely researched for skin health, oral hygiene and soothing overall inflammation.
Win! A $120 Beekeeper’s Naturals Prize Pack!
We have a winner! Congratulations Irit S. of Vancouver, B.C., who won a $120 Beekeeper’s Naturals prize pack including one Hive Pharmacy with a swap-out of one of the Propolis sprays for a Kids’ Propolis, and one large Bee Pollen!
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