Detroit Hives

Name

Detroit Hives

Legal name

Detroit Hives

Website

https://detroithives.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Beekeeping and Community Revitalization

NAICS

Apiculture (112910), Apiculture (11291)

akta.pro primary industry

Honey Production & Extraction (AFAEAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Value-Added Bee Products Manufacturing (Candles, Cosmetics, Supplements, Mead Ingredients) (AFAEAHAM), Beekeeping & Apiculture (EDAOAOAL)

Keywords

• Urban beekeeping
• Pollinator conservation
• Wildflower honey production
• Community revitalization
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Merchandise and product sales: Detroit Hives sells urban-harvested wildflower honey (8oz at $20), beeswax candles, and branded merchandise including t-shirts and face masks through its e-commerce shop, generating direct revenue from consumers.
2. Donations and fundraising: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Detroit Hives relies heavily on donations from individuals and sponsors. The organization runs fundraising campaigns such as the 'Donate $10 for 10' drive and sells fundraiser merchandise to generate charitable contributions.
3. Branded merchandise (t-shirts and apparel): Detroit Hives sells branded apparel including 'Detroit Is The Place To Bee', 'National Urban Beekeeping Day', 'Welcome to the D', and other themed t-shirts at $25 each through its fundraiser and Bonfire storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Detroit Hives transforms vacant and blighted lots in Detroit into urban bee farms, producing wildflower honey and beeswax candles sold through its own e-commerce shop and Bonfire fundraiser storefront. The organization supplements product sales with donations, sponsorships, and branded merchandise, while running three educational programs — Bee The Change, Bee In Motion, and Bee Inspired — that engage youth and residents in sustainability, health and mobility, and creative expression.

Product overview

Detroit Hives is a nonprofit organization offering honey and beeswax products from urban bee farms, along with branded merchandise. The core products include 8oz wildflower honey and beeswax candles. The organization operates educational programs (Bee The Change, Bee In Motion, Bee Inspired) that engage youth in sustainability, health, and creative expression initiatives. Merchandise includes various branded T-shirts and a face mask.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bee The Change: One of three core educational initiatives engaging youth and residents in hands-on learning centered on sustainability.
• Bee In Motion
• Bee Inspired

Products and services

• 8oz Delicious Dope Detroit Hive's Wildflower Honey Raw wildflower honey harvested from Detroit Hives' 38+ urban bee farm sites across Southeast and South-Central Michigan, bottled in 8oz containers and sold directly to consumers.
• Dope Beeswax Candles Handcrafted candles made from beeswax harvested at Detroit Hives' urban bee farms, sold directly to consumers through the online shop.
• Detroit Hives Branded T-Shirts Branded apparel T-shirts supporting the Detroit Hives urban beekeeping mission, sold at $25 each through the Bonfire fundraiser storefront in multiple designs.
• Bee Well Face Mask Branded 'Bee Well' face mask sold through the Bonfire fundraiser storefront to support Detroit Hives' beekeeping mission.
• Bee In Motion Educational Program Educational initiative of Detroit Hives focused on health and mobility, engaging youth and residents in hands-on learning through school and community partnerships.
• Bee The Change Educational Program Educational initiative of Detroit Hives focused on sustainability, engaging youth and residents in hands-on learning about environmental stewardship.
• Bee Inspired Educational Program Educational initiative of Detroit Hives focused on creative expression, engaging youth and residents in artistic and community activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• One in three bites of food we eat gets pollinated by bees

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 minor.

• Schools and community organizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDetroit Hives partners with schools and community organizations to deliver its three core educational initiatives — Bee The Change, Bee In Motion, and Bee Inspired — engaging youth and residents in hands-on learning centered on sustainability, health and mobility, and creative expression. These partnerships are central to the organization's community impact model.
• Municipalities and local businessescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough collaborative partnerships with municipalities and local businesses, Detroit Hives creates meaningful social, environmental, and financial impact. These partnerships support the creation of urban bee farms on vacant and underutilized land, contributing to community revitalization.
• Gleaners Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGleaners Food Bank logo appears in the Our Partners & Sponsors section of the website. Gleaners is a food bank serving Southeast Michigan and likely partners with Detroit Hives on local food initiatives and community food access programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Planet Bee Foundation: Bee-focused nonprofit delivering pollinator education and school programs; partial overlap on the education pillar of Detroit Hives' trifecta model.

Direct peers

• Best Bees Company: Boston-based urban beekeeping service that installs, manages, and maintains beehives for residential, commercial, and institutional clients, producing branded honey. Most directly comparable to Detroit Hives on the urban beekeeping + hive management + branded honey model.
• The Honeybee Conservancy: Nonprofit focused on honey bee conservation through hive sponsorships, community programs, and educational outreach — overlapping donor base, conservation mission, and educational programming.
• Bee Downtown: Nonprofit that installs and maintains beehives on corporate campuses for pollinator conservation and corporate sustainability programming; closest peer on the nonprofit urban-hive + corporate-sponsorship model.
• Alvéole: Montreal-headquartered urban rooftop beekeeping service that partners with offices, schools, and residential buildings to host hives and run pollinator education programs — directly comparable hive-as-service + education offering.

Broad incumbents

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: National nonprofit focused on invertebrate and pollinator conservation with habitat, policy, and education programs — broader-scope incumbent in the same conservation category.
• Bee City USA: Program of the Xerces Society that certifies cities, campuses, and communities as pollinator-friendly — adjacent incumbent providing infrastructure for city-level pollinator policy and programming.

Regional players

• Keep Growing Detroit: Detroit-based nonprofit that transforms vacant lots into urban gardens and farms and runs youth and community food programs; directly comparable on vacant-lot revitalization and Detroit food/green-space mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DetroitHives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Detroit Hives