What Bee Built does

Bee Built (legal entity New Bee, LLC) is a Portland, Oregon-based e-commerce manufacturer of premium, handcrafted beehives and beekeeping supplies, founded in 2017 and acquired by James and Dana Dirksen in 2019. The company designs and produces four core hive types (Top Bar, Warré, Langstroth, and Mason bee houses) from FSC-certified Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Sugar Pine sourced from Pacific Northwest forests within hours of its manufacturing facility. Technical differentiators include precision CNC-cut rabbet joint construction, the proprietary Bee Snug All Season Roof with R8 natural hemp insulation and reversible aluminum composite panels (marketed at 43% less temperature fluctuation than standard roofs), pre-assembled components enabling 30-40 minute builds, and stainless steel hardware. Bee Built is the first hive producer to achieve FSC certification and is pursuing B Corp status.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer model through a Shopify storefront at beebuilt.com, shipping globally with direct checkout available for US, Canada, UK, and Australia customers. Revenue streams span one-time hive kit sales ($699-$799 for premium hives, $95 for Mason bee houses), accessories ($11-$159), and educational content including the 'Being With the Bees' online course partnered with Two Hives Honey founder Tara Chapman. Customer segments include backyard hobbyist beekeepers, natural/organic treatment-free beekeepers, urban gardeners using Mason bee houses, and commercial/sideline beekeepers using Langstroth equipment. The company has paused its wholesale/reseller program as of July 2023 and emphasizes ethical sourcing partnerships with GULU Made (Uganda), IMANI Collective (Kenya), and Loyal Workshop (India). Customer base is highly distributed with 4.84-star rating across 3,042 verified reviews and no enterprise concentration, though growth signals include international expansion, new product categories, and pursuit of additional sustainability certifications.

Name

Bee Built

Legal name

New Bee, LLC

Website

https://beebuilt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bee Built is a Portland, Oregon-based e-commerce manufacturer that designs and sells premium, handcrafted FSC-certified beehives (Top Bar, Warré, Langstroth, Mason) and beekeeping accessories directly to backyard hobbyists, natural beekeepers, and urban gardeners worldwide, with revenue from hive kits, accessories, and partner-led online courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Beekeeping Equipment

NAICS

Apiculture (112910)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Beekeeping Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Hives, Frames, Tools, PPE) (AFAEAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beekeeping & Apiculture (EDAOAOAL)

Keywords

• Handcrafted beehives
• Cedar beehives
• Beekeeping supplies
• Natural beekeeping equipment
• Pollinator habitats

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Hive Sales: Primary revenue from selling wooden beehives including Top Bar, Warre, Langstroth, and Mason bee houses. Products are sold as complete kits with accessories and components.
2. Beekeeping Accessories: Revenue from selling beekeeping tools, protective gear, feeders, hive components, and maintenance products including smokers, hive tools, veils, tung oil, and replacement parts.
3. Online Courses: Revenue from online beekeeping education courses offered in partnership with Two Hives Honey founder Tara Chapman. Courses include Being With the Bees beginner course and additional advanced courses.
4. Wholesale/Reseller: Wholesale pricing for resellers and beekeeping supply stores. Program was paused as of July 2023 but accepting applications for future consideration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bee Built manufactures and sells handcrafted, FSC-certified wooden beehives (Top Bar, Warré, Langstroth, and Mason Bee hives) and beekeeping accessories from its Portland, Oregon facility, with proprietary features such as the Bee Snug insulated roof. The company also retails beekeeping tools, protective gear, feeders, and wood treatments, and offers online beekeeping education courses in partnership with Two Hives Honey.

Product overview

Bee Built offers a portfolio of physical beekeeping products centered on four core hive types (Top Bar, Warre, Langstroth, and Mason Bee hives) crafted primarily from FSC-certified Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Sugar Pine sourced from Pacific Northwest forests. The product line spans complete hive kits with viewing windows, composite aluminum roofs, and insulation systems (Bee Snug All Season Roofs), alongside a comprehensive accessories catalog including tools (smokers, hive tools, comb cutters), protective gear (Bella Beek veils), feeders, wood treatments (tung oil), and bee management supplies. Education offerings include the Being With the Bees online course by Tara Chapman. The company emphasizes sustainable manufacturing with a Portland, Oregon mill, carbon-neutral shipping, and social impact partnerships with Gulu Made, IMANI Collective, and The Loyal Workshop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Top Bar Hive in Western Red Cedar

Quantifiable outcome

• 43% less temperature fluctuation in hives using Bee Snug All Season Roof compared to standard designs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GULU MadecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerManufacturing partner for Bella Beek Signature Veils. Established a factory in Gulu, Uganda providing employment opportunities for skilled women in the area following conflict. Veils are ethically sourced and handmade, with purchase supporting their mission.
• IMANI CollectivecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSocio-economic empowerment program based in Kenya that produces tool rolls for BeeBuilt. Provides employment opportunities with holistic support including meals, children's education programs, and ongoing skill training.
• The Loyal WorkshopcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAnti-slavery focused business model in Kolkata, India producing tool rolls for BeeBuilt. Founded as employment opportunity for women trapped in sex trade, providing ethical and rehabilitative workplace.
• Two Hives Honey (Tara Chapman)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partnership with Tara Chapman, founder of Two Hives Honey. Created 'Being With the Bees' 4-part beginner course to help customers start their beekeeping journey. Tara provides ongoing mentorship to course participants.
• Girl Next Door HoneyminorOthersBeekeeping educator and community partner listed on Partners & Friends page.
• Honey Bee WildminorOthersBeekeeping educator and community partner listed on Partners & Friends page.
• BeesponsibleminorOthersNon-profit beekeeping education organization listed as community partner.
• Xerces SocietyminorOthersPollinator conservation nonprofit organization listed as community partner.
• Natural Beekeeping TrustminorOthersUK-based organization promoting natural beekeeping practices, listed as community partner.
• The Honeybee ConservancyminorOthersNon-profit focused on honeybee health and education, listed as community partner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Two Hives Honey:
• Bee Thinking (historical): Bee Thinking was Bee Built's predecessor brand selling natural-beekeeping wooden hives out of Portland, Oregon. While it no longer operates as a direct competitor, it remains directly comparable in positioning (Portland-made, FSC, Top Bar/Warre focus) and is referenced in customer reviews as the prior source for many of Bee Built's long-tenured customers.

Broad incumbents

• Mann Lake Ltd. Mann Lake is one of the largest US beekeeping supply companies, offering hives, protective gear, tools, and honey harvesting equipment across hobbyist, sideline, and commercial segments. It is a direct competitor in the beekeeping equipment category but at a much larger scale and broader catalog than Bee Built.
• Dadant & Sons: Dadant is a long-established US beekeeping supplier with deep commercial and hobbyist catalogs, including hive kits, tools, and extraction equipment. It serves overlapping customers but competes primarily on breadth, scale, and traditional Langstroth equipment rather than premium natural-beekeeping designs.
• Kelley Beekeeping: Kelley Beekeeping is a long-standing US supplier of woodenware, tools, and beekeeping kits to hobbyists and commercial operators. It is comparable as a category incumbent but is positioned as a mass-market equipment supplier rather than a premium natural-beekeeping specialist.

Direct peers

• Betterbee: Betterbee is a New York-based beekeeping supply retailer and manufacturer selling hives, tools, and beginner education resources. It overlaps directly with Bee Built across product category and customer base (hobbyist beekeepers), but is positioned more toward mainstream Langstroth equipment.
• Brushy Mountain Bee Farm: Brushy Mountain Bee Farm sells premium wooden beehives, tools, and accessories to hobbyist and sideline beekeepers. It is one of the closest direct peers to Bee Built in terms of wooden hive craftsmanship and target hobbyist customer, though its catalog skews more toward Langstroth.

Regional players

• GloryBee: GloryBee is an Oregon-based honey and beekeeping supply company selling hive equipment, tools, and bee-related products with a Pacific Northwest footprint. It shares Bee Built's regional roots and hobbyist-equipment focus, but its offering is broader (honey products, ingredients) and less premium-positioned in hive craftsmanship.
• Western Bee Supplies: Western Bee Supplies is a US beekeeping equipment retailer focused on woodenware and accessories for hobbyists. It competes in the same product category as Bee Built but with a more value-oriented, mainstream Langstroth-heavy assortment and less emphasis on sustainable or natural-beekeeping branding.

Emerging players

• Flow Hive: Flow Hive pioneered a modern honey-extraction hive system and sells direct-to-consumer globally. It competes for the same beginner/hobbyist segment as Bee Built but with a fundamentally different design proposition (in-hive extraction vs. natural-comb hives), making it an adjacent rather than identical competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/beebuiltsupply
• Facebookfacebook.com/beebuiltsupply
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bee-built

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bee Built