Beekeeper, Karen Mosholder and grandson, Henry, tending the hives
Thirteen years ago Karen Sandusky Mosholder awoke from a dream with the words BumbleBerry Apiary Heritage Select Honey running through her brain. Like some of her other dreamy ideas, she wrote it down and put it aside. Three years later she was reading an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Burgh Bees, a local organization that aims to “introduce beekeeping to Pittsburghers in order to promote bees and beekeeping and in so doing, stewardship of the environment.”
Acting on her yearly New Year’s resolution to learn something new, Karen took a beekeeping class with Burgh Bees and immediately felt a call to action to do her part to fight the colony collapse disorder. She ended up placing a couple of beehives in her backyard and her path to BumbleBerry Farms, a beloved heritage honey and honey cream company that sells throughout the US, began.
In her first-year beekeeping, Karen yielded 100 lbs. of delicious natural honey from each of her hives, triple what the state average was that year. She realized that not only was beekeeping something that she was passionate about, she also had a natural affinity for it. Karen shared her honey with her friends, family and co-workers for 6 years, as demand continued to grow, she was motivated to start Bumbleberry Farms.
Honey, Karen learned, is not just good for supporting bee populations. Natural honey also offers an extensive list of benefits to humans. Honey is a natural antibacterial and humectant, it’s an effective treatment for wounds, is better than cough medicine in some circumstances, can be used as a natural energy source that won’t spike blood sugar and can help alleviate the symptoms of local allergies.
It’s important to note that all honey is not created equally. A 2011 investigation found that 3/4 of honey in United States grocery stores was not “exactly what bees produced.” That’s why it’s best to buy your honey from companies that carry the True Source certification. A True Source certification verifies that the honey you purchase is ethically sourced, moves through the supply chain lawfully and carries truthful labeling.
Running Bumbleberry Farms has taught Karen quite a bit about life as well. Working with bees has taught her to overcome fears, to control her breathing and to put the world aside during moments of pressure or enjoyment. Importantly, the bees have taught Karen that small acts can lead to large results. “One honeybee gathers enough nectar to produce just 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey,” she says. “Bees visit more than 2 million flowers to gather nectar for just once pound of honey.”
Bees also spread pollen throughout their surroundings. Their ability to make fields blossom and to spread a little sweetness are what inspire Karen most. Not only does Bumbleberry Farms spread sweetness through their heritage honeys and unique popular honey creams, they also philosophically spread sweetness by supporting a school mentoring program by donating honey for them to sell.Karen’s mission to spread a little sweetness through creative, innovative artisan products that bring joy and the love of life the way nature intended is now spreading nationally and internationally teaching that each of us can spread a little sweetness.
Building Bumbleberry Farms hasn’t been all sweet treats and flower blossoms. As in any business, Karen ran into challenges. Her biggest, she says, was scaling from a business in her garage selling honey to local markets to providing pallets for biglarge national accounts includingTerrain, Republic of Tea, Home Goods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and select Whole foods locations. She had to be very creative at times along the way. Like the bees who can search miles for their honey source, Karen learned there is always a solution.
What advice would Karen give to entrepreneurs getting ready to take the leap and pursue their dreams? The key is to be really persistent, she says. Something really great might be on the other side of the seemingly insurmountable obstacle that you’re facing.