Bee Culture

What Bee Culture does

Bee Culture is a niche publishing company that produces Bee Culture Magazine, a monthly publication covering American beekeeping since 1873. The company serves beekeepers across all experience levels — from not-yet-started enthusiasts and hobbyists with 1–10 colonies to commercial operators — providing expert-authored articles, disease and pest management guidance, equipment reviews, recipes, and an exclusive monthly regional honey price report. Bee Culture is operated by Root Publications, part of The A.I. Root Company, a fifth-generation family-owned business headquartered in Medina, Ohio.

The company's core offering is the monthly magazine, available in print, digital, and bundled formats with subscription terms ranging from 12 to 36 months and priced between $24 and $255 depending on geography and format. It complements the magazine with a catalog of beekeeping reference and how-to books (including The Backyard Beekeeper, ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture in its 42nd edition, Natural Beekeeping, and Queen Rearing Essentials), individual back issues sold for $5 each, and advertising placements. The technology stack is built on standard publishing and commerce infrastructure: WordPress for content, BigCommerce for the e-commerce store (store.beeculture.com), SimpleCirc for subscription management, and Flodesk for the Catch the Buzz e-newsletter.

Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring magazine subscriptions (digital, print, and bundled, including international tiers), one-time book sales, individual back issue sales, and advertising from beekeeping industry advertisers. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company website, the SimpleCirc subscription portal, and phone orders, with international shipping. Bee Culture maintains a multi-channel marketing presence across its website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the Catch the Buzz newsletter to engage both subscriber and prospect audiences.

Name

Bee Culture

Legal name

Bee Culture Magazine

Website

https://beeculture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bee Culture is a family-owned publishing company that has produced Bee Culture Magazine, a monthly American beekeeping publication, since 1873. It serves hobbyist and commercial beekeepers through subscriptions, books, advertising, and digital content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Interest Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Beekeeping Training, Education & Advisory Services (AFAEAHAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health, Fitness & Wellness Magazines (MPAJAEAD), Beekeeping & Apiculture (EDAOAOAL)

Keywords

• Beekeeping magazine publishing
• Beekeeping reference books
• Honey price reporting
• Special interest periodicals
• Beekeeping education content

Headquarters

HQ city

Medina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Monthly magazine subscriptions sold in various tiers including digital-only, print-only, and combined print+digital packages for both domestic (U.S.) and international markets. Subscriptions range from 12 to 36 months.
2. Book and Publication Sales: Sale of beekeeping books, guides, and reference materials including the 42nd Edition of ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture, The Backyard Beekeeper, and other educational titles.
3. Back Issues: Sale of individual magazine back issues for $5 each.
4. Advertising: Revenue from advertisers featured in the magazine and on the website, with dedicated advertising information page and advertiser listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bee Culture publishes a monthly beekeeping magazine in print and digital editions under The A.I. Root Company, complemented by a catalog of beekeeping reference books sold through its e-commerce store. The portfolio also includes back issues, the Catch the Buzz e-newsletter, monthly regional honey price reports, and audio articles, all targeted at hobbyist, sideline, and commercial beekeepers.

Product overview

Bee Culture is a publishing company offering a unified portfolio of beekeeping media products centered around its flagship monthly magazine (published since 1873). The core offering includes the print and digital editions of Bee Culture Magazine featuring expert articles, honey price reports, and disease management content. The product ecosystem extends through a complementary book publishing program selling titles like The Backyard Beekeeper, ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture, Queen Rearing Essentials, and Natural Beekeeping through its e-commerce store. Digital services include the Catch the Buzz e-newsletter, monthly regional honey price reports, and audio content. All offerings are unified under the Root Company's legacy (the original A.I. Root beekeeping company) and serve beekeepers from beginners to commercial operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture: The authoritative beekeeping reference book first published in 1877, now in its 42nd edition. Known as 'The Beekeeper's Bible' with over 800 pages of information on beekeeping.
• Catch the Buzz

Products and services

• Bee Culture Magazine (Print Subscription)
• Bee Culture Digital Edition

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• SimpleCirccoreTechnology or IntegrationSimpleCirc provides subscription management infrastructure for Bee Culture Magazine, handling subscription processing, renewals, and delivery management for both domestic and international subscribers.
• BigCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationBigCommerce powers the Bee Culture e-commerce store (store.beeculture.com), providing the platform for selling books, subscriptions, and merchandise online.
• Root CandlesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated company under the A.I. Root family of companies. Bee Culture is published by Root Publications and shares heritage with Root Candles, both founded by Amos Ives Root in Medina, Ohio. Both companies are part of the same family business tradition since 1869.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hobby Farms Magazine: Magazine serving hobbyist and small-scale farmers including beekeepers. Broader in scope than Bee Culture but overlaps in audience and advertising base; provides a comparable publishing model for hobbyist agricultural content.
• Modern Farmer: Lifestyle publication covering small-scale agriculture, sustainable farming, and hobbyist pursuits including beekeeping. Adjacent audience and content overlap, with broader editorial scope.
• Acres U.S.A. Long-running magazine and book publisher covering sustainable and ecological agriculture. Beekeeping features prominently in its editorial coverage, and it serves overlapping demographics of small-scale and hobbyist farmers.
• Grit Magazine: Rural and hobby lifestyle publication covering self-sufficiency, homesteading, and small-scale agriculture including beekeeping. Overlapping demographic with Bee Culture's hobbyist readers and similar advertising base.

Direct peers

• American Bee Journal: The other major U.S. beekeeping magazine, published since 1861. Directly competes with Bee Culture for the same hobbyist and commercial beekeeper readers, advertising dollars from beekeeping suppliers, and authoritative category voice.
• Beesource.com: Leading online beekeeping community and forum. Competes with Bee Culture for hobbyist beekeeper attention and time, offering free content, discussion forums, and classifieds—a free alternative that pressures paid subscription willingness.

Regional players

• The Australasian Beekeeper: Long-running Australian beekeeping journal with a comparable editorial model (print magazine, advertising, books) serving beekeepers in a different geography. Demonstrates the same niche publishing archetype in a regional market.

Others

• Bee Informed Partnership: Non-profit research and education organization producing industry reports, newsletters, and educational content for beekeepers. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but serves overlapping audiences with research-driven content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BeeCulture
• Facebookfacebook.com/BeeCultureMagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bee-culture-magazine-pub-by-the-a.i.-root-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/beeculturemag
• Xx.com/beeculture

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 Culture