Honey Makes It to the Shark Tank

Shark Tank is a reality competition show which puts entrepreneurs in front of a panel of “shark” investors in an attempt to get them to invest in their product. On a recent episode of Shark Tank, 10-year-old Mikaila Ulmer presented her business “Bee Sweet Lemonade,” a child’s lemonade stand that uses bee honey as a natural sweetener. But, Mikalia isn’t just in it for the money – she has designed her business around the honey bee’s need to work and colonize to survive, and gives them a way to do so.

Bee Sweet Lemonade – The Beginning

When Mikalia was only four years old, she enrolled in the Children’s Business Competition that is held at the Action Children’s Business Fair. Although Mikalia obviously holds an entrepreneurial spirit, it was not until she was stung for a second time by a bee that her idea for Bee Sweet Lemonade began. With some help from Mikalia’s Great Grandma Helen, she learned more about honey bees and how the number of bee colonies across the world have been decreasing in number over the last few decades.

Mikalia’s idea for Bee Sweet Lemonade would not only provide delicious, naturally sweetened lemonade for her to sell but it would also help the bees to build colonies and work to survive. The thought of sweetening drinks with honey is not an original concept, however; many large beverage corporations use honey in their drinks. But, what is missing from the larger business’s model is the passion for caring for and helping honey bees to survive, which is the driving force behind Mikalia’s Bee Sweet Lemonade.

Bee Sweet Lemonade – After Shark Tank

Bees have been getting a lot of news coverage lately, so now was the perfect time for Bee Sweet Lemonade to put itself on Shark Tank and in front of the world. Bee Sweet Lemonade’s “Flow Hive” – a revolutionary honey harvesting device that makes getting fresh honey as easy as turning on a faucet – has gained a lot of attention. The project is being funded on IndieGoGo and, with less than a month left to donate, has crushed its goal of $70,000 by raising over $6 million in donations.

Mikaila Ulmer has done something extraordinary with Bee Sweet Lemonade – she has taken her passion for honey bees and turned it into a business that is mutually beneficial. With the success of her business and the Flow Hive, it is a sure bet that lemonade stands everywhere will be using this innovative technology to not only run their business better but also help to support the re-colonization of honey bees across the country and across the world. Congratulations to Mikaila and Bee Sweet Lemonade!

If you cannot make it to Mikaila’s lemonade stand, maybe you want to try sweetening your favorite drink with some delicious Manuka honey. To start your order, click here.

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