Meet Beth Conrey | Owner and Beekeeper

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beth Conrey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I began as a hobbyist beekeeper–keeping bees on the side while I worked a “regular” job. I quit that “regular” job role and began adding additional colonies to my apiaries. After a time, my honey production was greater than my annual household consumption (and we eat A LOT) of honey. I began selling honey. As I sold more honey, I expanded my operation to include more colonies.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Bee Squared Apiaries is a 120 colony beekeeping business with colonies sited from Denver to Wellington. We produce award winning varietal and infused honey, gorgeous beeswax candles and luscious soaps along with a variety of other hive products such as beeswax and pollen.

Last year, Bee Squared trademarked our tag line “Exponentially Better” and we “bee” exponentially better indeed:

1. Our awards for our honeys are from the Good Food Foundation and are a recognition of both the quality of the finished product as well as the care that goes into managing the honey bees that produce that product. We are very proud of them for that reason. Our first award winner in 2016 was the rose petal infused “honey from the Heart”, a collaboration with Happy Heart Farm in Fort Collins. Our second award came in 2020 for the whiskey barrel aged honey. This is a super fun collaboration with 3 local distillers, Branch and Barrel (Centennial), Laws Whiskey House (Denver) and Spirit Hound (Lyons). The final product is outstanding and accounts for 20% of our sales. We have just won our 3rd GFA but I cannot announce the product until the award is in our hands in mid January.

2. We are a 1% For the Planet member and contribute a minimum of 1% of SALES to non-profit causes, primarily environmental and pollinator issues at both the local and national level.

3. We are plastic neutral through an innovative program offered through Repurpose Global.

4. We have applied for our B Corp certification.

5. I volunteer in the community with my local non-profit, People and Pollinators Action Network (PPAN) and a national non-profit, the Pollinator Stewardship Council. I am past-president of the Western Apicultural Society, the Colorado State Beekeepers Association and the Northern CO Beekeepers Association.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We love Cheese Importers (https://cheeseimporters.com) in Longmont. This is a little bit of New York City right in Longmont. We love all the opportunities for outside activities in the area from RMNP to the Berthoud Reservoir.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes!

First, I need to thank Tom Theobald of Niwot Honey Farms. He wrote a column on beekeeping in my local paper and piqued my interest. Tom died of cancer just a few weeks ago and he will be sorely missed by me and the entire CO beekeeping community.

Second, I need to thank Howard Malchow, my next door neighbor, who had bees for years and who was very supportive of my initial efforts to keep them. Howard passed away several years ago at 90 but left me his 1930’s vintage honey extractor which brings back fond memories every time I look at it.

Website: bethsbees.com

Instagram: beesquaredapiaries

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beesquaredapiaries

Image Credits
Jamie Erickson Emily Moon