Honey is a typical household item; from helping with sore throats, adding sweetness to your tea or in DIY beauty products. In addition, honey can be found in an immense amount of products both food and beauty related. It seems as if we have a limitless supply of the golden syrup, but this is definitely not the case. Over the last decade or so, honey bees have struggled to thrive and there’s been countless instances of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) destroying populations. There are several companies speaking out on this topic, such as The Jenny B Project, spearheaded by Jenny’s pug, Beez.
The Jenny B Project began with the intention to raise awareness for honey bees and support the latest honey bee research. They sell honey, honey-based products and speak with local communities about bee-centric beekeeping and CCD. The official business name Beez From the Block, LLC is named after the founder’s pug, Beez, whom is a very prominent advocate for protecting honey bees. Every month Beez donates to organizations in support of honey bee research, efforts to fight CCD, bee sanctuaries and those trying to rebuild our honey bee population. The specific organization varies month to month, to broaden support and awareness; they feature the monthly choice on their blog all with the cohesive message to #SaveTheBees.
The product line began with “Beez’ Balms”, made initially as a way to support Beez’ medical bills. Today the Jenny B Project offers an array of items including, raw organic honey, beeswax candles, Beez’ pollen, soap bars, lip balms, body butter, beard balm, wood polish, and bulk sized-orders! We heard the inside scoop that a Beez’ Beach line is in the works too, including an Eco-friendly Surf Wax that will be available by summer. They also work with customers regarding allergies, special orders, party favors and other customizable orders.
All of Beez’ products are made with as many local ingredients as possible; they even raise honey bees at their home in Blooming Grove, NY in the Hudson Valley. Come spring they plan to expand their apiary with pollinator trees and plants, such as lavender, mammoth sunflowers and fruit trees. Being both transparent and authentic with their products is extremely important to them. They believe producing their own honey, the basis of their products, is an easy way to achieve that.
Similar to Cornucopia, they have pretty strict, yet straightforward, guidelines on ingredients they use and who they do business with. Some of the qualities they look for are: Sustainable growing farms, bee-centric businesses, fair trade products, RSPO certification, no animal testing, organic, biodegradable, non-gmo and hypoallergenic ingredients. This goes for all of their products and packaging, aiming to supply nothing but the best for their customers. Under these standards, Beez’ products also aim to remain affordable and available for everyone. They believe proper self care and education on what we use is important; that everybody should have access to organic, natural, truly good-for-you products.
Their care and efforts don’t stop with honey bees and quality products, though. Beez is a HUGE advocate for environmental sustainability and strives to be conscious of the environment in everything they do. Upcycling, re-using and re-purposing are some of Beez’ favorite words. They rarely need to purchase their own packing or shipping materials as they always re-use. The Beez’ bulb candle collection specifically utilizes all up-cycled containers such as jars and tea pots from second hand stores. To them, having aesthetically pleasing products is nice, but the environment will always come first – they reuse, recycle or compost everything possible.
A local, environmentally-friendly company with a purpose and high-quality products? You can’t ask for much more. We now have a bunch of the The Jenny B Project products at Cornucopia, so stop in to see how great they are for yourself! Their honey and other Beez products are also available at: ForeverFitWith Gami Fitness Studio in New Windsor, NY, Clarke’s Ice Cream and Cafe in Blooming Grove, Howell’s Sunflower Cafe in Goshen, NY and Frisky Goat Coffee House in Milford, PA. They’re even working with a few NYC restaurants to supply honey for their dishes. To find out more about this company and their cause, head to their website or give them a follow on instagram!
