At first glance or thought, beekeeping might not seem very beneficial. However, you’d be astonished to know that it can have several ecological benefits. Beekeeping is a tremendously creative and sustainable way to ensure better pollination of crops, which helps increase crop yields for various plants like fruits and sunflowers. And of course, the obtained pure and organic honey is just the cherry on top.
That being said, most individuals or businesses might shy away from adopting the procedure due to its substantial cost of supplies. Beekeeping equipment and supplies can come with higher price tags, more so because of their lack of widespread availability. Even today, there’s a significantly limited market for manufacturing and selling beekeeping tools and hives for the people genuinely interested in beekeeping. And the ones available can be trickier to maintain, contributing to the overall low awareness and beekeeping practices.
Matt Reed and his wife, Jill, understood the problem and wanted to participate in promoting beekeeping. They aimed to increase awareness of the practice, attracting people to beekeeping by offering beehives, beekeeping accessories, honey, and various bee-related items. The Reeds established a vision of informing people about the crucial role of bees in ecosystems using nature-friendly methods. Therefore, they began their company, “Bee Thinking,” in 2008 as an online platform to connect with people even mildly interested in beekeeping.
Matt was looking for investment to help make people aware of the increasing killing of honeybees, encouraging them to use the flies for sustainability instead. He appeared in Shark Tank’s season six, pitching for $400,000 in exchange for 10% of his firm’s value. Matt started by explaining how he began his business of developing beehives by first producing blogs, after which increasing readers kept requesting to buy his beehives. So far, Bee Thinking had generated $500,000 by selling the hives at a remarkably favorable profit margin.
Kevin likes how Matt explained his hives and how bees would utilize them best. However, the firm isn’t worth $4 million; therefore, he’s out. Robert likes Bee Thinking’s story but doesn’t think $400,000 would assist. So, he goes out as well.
While Mark is impressed, he suggests that having an additional investor may be stressful for the business. And Lori doesn’t particularly like honey. Eventually, they’re both out. Daymond says it would take him a long time to get his money back. And while he’d gladly be Bee Thinking’s customer, he wouldn’t want to be its investor. So, he’s out too. Ultimately, the episode ended with Matt not entering into a deal with any of the Sharks.
Although Bee Thinking didn’t score a deal, it significantly impacted the target audience. After Shark Tank’s episode aired, Matt continued to work in marketing his hives, driving sales, and piquing interests. True to his word, Daymond becomes an active beekeeper and a loyal customer.
Unfortunately, Matt had to close business operations in 2017 because of being unable to manage the increasing orders. But he returned after a year, changing his firm’s name and proceeding with his operations as Bee Built.
As of 2022, Bee Built continues to thrive, offering logical and creative designs to uphold its commitment to encouraging natural beekeeping and offering honeybees the most optimal environment to increase pollination. Earning a yearly revenue of around $3.5 million, the business remains one of the best platforms for premium-quality beehives and beekeeping supplies.
Our Review Of Bee Thinking
We think that Bee Thinking is an excellent product because it’s not just about selling beehives or beekeeping essentials. Instead, it’s a place that incorporates several responsibilities aimed at increasing sustainable practices. Bee Thinking (now Bee Built) is a vivid stakeholder in donating hives and funds to institutions helping bees and other pollinators. It’s also an evocative participant of the natural beekeeping society, working with all relevant parties to educate customers and potential customers about the crucial role of all pollinators and the current limitations they face in the present world.
Bee Thinking was an impactful initiative the Reeds took, and we wholeheartedly support the endeavor due to its extensive contribution to beekeeping. Alas, no review is complete without assessing the product’s advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, let’s look at the pros and cons to help you evaluate the firm’s standing.
Pros Of Bee Thinking
- An ideal platform for new beekeepers
- Incredible social awareness of pollinators and their constraints
- Promoting chemical-free beekeeping practices
- User-friendly and high-quality beehives requiring low maintenance
- A wide range of beekeeping must-haves under one roof
- Offering courses to guide beekeepers on best practices and fundamentals of beekeeping
- Affordable price range
- Designed beehives to suit all preferences
Cons Of Bee Thinking
We couldn’t find any disadvantage for the product, except that most of its hives were currently out of stock on the website. Apart from that, we think the only drawbacks could be the possible hassles of beekeeping. It’s no shocking news that beekeeping can get intense, considering you’re dealing with honeybees. The high likelihood of stings and bee diseases to look out for can drive people away from beekeeping practices. But then again, if you’re buying beekeeping supplies, it means you’ve already begun your journey as a beekeeper and are well prepared and looking forward to extracting honey and promoting pollination.
Who Is Bee Thinking For?
Bee Thinking is an ideal platform for all beekeepers: amateurs or professionals. Whether you’re considering becoming a beekeeper or scrolling to buy premium-quality beehives and beekeeping supplies like gears, tools, or feeders, Bee Thinking is the one-stop solution for all your searches. The store is also perfect for people looking to educate themselves on beekeeping practices and their social impacts.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Numerous businesses are dealing with beekeeping supplies and equipment, and Dadant is one of the best alternatives to opt for. It’s one of the industry pioneers with extensive experience and knowledge in offering durable and quality-assured protective gears, hive tools, and hive kits. It also offers a learning center to provide books and blogs, educating on beekeeping and the contemporary threats to honeybees.
Our Final Thoughts
Overall, Bee Thinking (now Bee Built) is an outstanding effort by the Reeds and an appreciative platform because of offering all beekeeping essentials in one location. You can access any tool or knowledge about beekeeping from Bee Thinking and use it to excel as a beekeeper. The added benefit: you can feel a sense of accomplishment because you’re associating with a business that also donates to other beekeeping institutions!
