First there were the chickens. Next came the bees. The chicks stuck for a business name and the bees became the business, Two Chicks Apiary.
Jen Renfro and Sarah Mueller, from Antigo and Ledgeview, respectively, are sisters who like raising chickens, but love raising bees. Renfro said the interest in bees started with her sister, Sarah, in about 2018.
She said, “Sarah’s husband was the first one to get set up with bees. In the beginning, Sarah wasn’t interested, but would watch the bees swarm while she sat on her porch. But that fall, when they looked in the hive and saw the honey, she was hooked. She couldn’t stop talking about the bees.”
That interest spread. Sarah and her husband had taken a class to learn to become beekeepers. Unlike many people who buy bees and think they can set up a colony, Renfro explained that there is much more involved. You need to be a steward of the bees and care for them year-round. Before long, Sarah’s growing interest eclipsed that of her husband.
“It was like an illness,” Renfro said. “Sarah couldn’t stop talking about the bees. And once I went into the hives so many times, I thought I’d take the class. After the class, I was also highly addicted.”
Renfro, who spent 30 years in the health care field and now works part time in addition to tending bees, had no reservations when she decided to partner with her sister in 2019. It was then, she said, that the real journey began.
They joined the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association and Brown County Beekeepers Association where they would eventually become award-winning leaders. They purchased brood boxes, bee suits, smokers. They began to survey their yards for land that met the requirements of being out of the wind, protected from too much sun, and having a nearby source for water.
Renfro said, “You also need to check to see if there is a municipal ordinance regulating beekeeping. In my area, you have to report that you have the hives. It’s also a good idea to make friends with your neighbors. For example, I make sure to share honey with my neighbors every year.”
Three locations were selected – in De Pere, Pulaski, and Antigo. Lavender is grown in one of the fields resulting in the production of a popular lavender honey.
With that accomplished and the beehives set up, they continued to take classes and watch online videos. The beekeepers association, with monthly meetings that feature an educational topic, was an excellent place to talk bees with other beekeepers.
One of the topics that garnered interest was learning about about the healing properties in beeswax, pollen, propolis, and honey. They researched and discovered a wealth of information that led them to pursue the next stage of the business.
Renfro said her sister “began experimenting with different skincare recipes and started handcrafting products using resources from our own hives. Two Chicks Apiary began.”
Fast forward a few years, and they had developed a brand and launched a line of products. In promoting them, they boasted on their website that they were, “Direct from the hives to your home.” Offered for sale were pure honey, natural skincare, and handcrafted goods that they bragged were made by two bee-loving sisters in Wisconsin.
As the business began to grow, they took on different roles. Renfro, with management experience, used those skills in administration and management. Sarah, with her extensive study of beekeeping, became the master beekeeper. For branding assistance, Renfro’s son, Chris, was tapped to use his marketing skills in establishing a website and social media sites. He designed the business logos – one featuring a “Peace Bee” and the other a “Peace Honeycomb.”
The emphasis on peace is to stress the peacefulness of bees and what they contribute to the planet, their self-love line of products, and their goal to educate and connect.
Having had a career in nursing and ending as a nurse educator, Sarah loves to educate people who stop by their booth at farmers markets. Both sisters have taught classes and Renfro currently teaches a class on honey bees at a school in Antigo.
“At first we taught as a team, but now we do it separately,” Renfro said. “We get calls from schools and other groups, and about 10 times a year, we teach small groups. Some of them want to come to the hives.”
They are considering monetizing some of these activities to help support business growth as they scale it. For private tours, they have had the additional cost of purchasing suits and other personal protective equipment that cover guests from ear to ear.
“They hear about the bees; they learn about the bees; they get to go in the hive,” Renfro added. “The top question we get is, ‘Will I get stung?’”
Actually, Renfro said, it is rare to get stung. She and her sister, even with the extended hours spent in the hives, feel very protected. A smoker is used when they enter because it calms the bees and blocks their ability to communicate with each other. The honey bees are generally docile and won’t attack a person like a hornet or wasp will.
There are about 100 beekeepers in the area, but there are also a large number who try it each year and don’t succeed. Few make it past three years as bees die. If a person makes it to the three-year point, they typically continue. That’s what the sisters plan to do.
The business is growing via ecommerce, wholesaling, and participation in area farmers markets. Renfro said she is following the basics of a business plan.
“I sat down with another business owner and got help writing a plan. I learned that my sister and I needed to make sure we were headed in the same direction. It’s challenging at times with so many directions we could go. Do we focus on educating people? Selling our honey and products? Tours? We need to know our main purpose, and that is to educate and create products from the hive,” Renfro said.
There have been challenges. They designed packaging that was eco-friendly with sustainability and affordability in mind. The packaging might have been OK for small markets, but not for ecommerce and boutique sales.
Renfro said, “When we started, we ordered 500 labels and found out they should have had our address and ingredients listed on them. We had spent money on them and they didn’t work. But that’s just part of learning as you go.”
There have been other lessons, as well, but Renfro said they are farther along at this point than they had anticipated. Goals are set every November and a schedule for the next season planned, which is listed on their website, twochicksapiary.com. They coordinate with their husbands who she says provide the muscle for moving everything when they setup for events. New products are in development and they are increasing their emphasis on selling at boutique shops.
The journey continues with a mission to grow the business, show respect for the vital role of honeybees in our ecosystem, and be part of a world where honeybees thrive. There is an added advantage.
Renfro said, “If we didn’t have this business, I would probably talk to my sister once a week, but now we talk every day and I love that. We don’t always agree, but it is good to connect and stay connected. Chickens were the gateway drug to beekeeping and now we do both.”
Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Sisters share love of beekeeping; create successful business together
Reporting by Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt, For Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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