The Beez Kneez
The Beez Kneez is a founder-owned, non-migratory beekeeping operation in Grantsburg, WI that produces raw honey via a trademarked bicycle-powered extractor, sells winter-hardy nucs and queens bred with the UMN Bee Lab, and runs an education and Urban Apiary Partners program across Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersGrantsburg, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What The Beez Kneez does
The Beez Kneez LLC is a privately held, founder-owned, non-migratory beekeeping operation founded in 2010 by Kristy Lynn Allen and headquartered at Trade River Ranch in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. The company manages roughly 100-120 overwintered hives across Northwest Wisconsin and Central Minnesota and produces raw, never-heated-above-hive-temperature honey extracted through its proprietary, trademarked Beez Kneez Honey Cycle™, a bicycle-powered extraction system. Its core product set spans raw wildflower honey (Raw Country Wildflower, Honey-Apolis urban-sourced wildflower, and Camp Beez Kneez wildflower in 4oz to 18oz sizes), five-frame nucleus colonies ($225) and northern-bred queens ($48) carrying VSH, POL, and Caucasian genetics developed in partnership with the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, plus handmade beeswax candles, beeswax blocks, and a Beez Lipz body balm.
The business operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and community-led go-to-market model. Honey and ancillary products are sold through the company's e-commerce site, the on-farm Beez Kneez Honey House in Grantsburg, regional co-ops in Minnesota and Wisconsin (including Seward, East Side, River Market, and Natural Alternative), St. Croix Valley Food Alliance winter farmers markets, and partner sites such as The Bakken Museum. A second revenue layer is education and community: Camp Beez Kneez and Club Beez Kneez deliver classes, workshops, and open-apiary sessions, and free queen cells are bundled into membership. The Urban Apiary Partners program places hives at five Twin Cities host sites (universities, museums, restaurants, LEED-certified offices), creating both a brand presence and additional forage in pesticide-free urban environments.
The Beez Kneez is operationally small (1-10 employees), reports no institutional funding or external investors, and sells exclusively to retail and consumer channels in the Upper Midwest. Its competitive position rests on selective genetics (80% winter survival vs. a 40-60% US baseline, ~100 lb/hive in 2021), trademarked low-impact extraction, mission-aligned partner sites, and a tight community of beekeeping customers. The company has no documented AI, software, or platform component, and its primary forward risks are weather-driven harvest variance, the founder-key-person dependency on Kristy Allen, and the limited scalability of a hand-curated, regionally distributed specialty honey brand.
The Beez Kneez firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Beez Kneez
- Legal name
- The Beez Kneez LLC
- Website
- https://thebeezkneezdelivery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Beez Kneez is a founder-owned, non-migratory beekeeping operation in Grantsburg, WI that produces raw honey via a trademarked bicycle-powered extractor, sells winter-hardy nucs and queens bred with the UMN Bee Lab, and runs an education and Urban Apiary Partners program across Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Beez Kneez industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Raw Honey and Beekeeping Products
- NAICS
- Apiculture (112910), Apiculture (11291)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Apiary Management Services (Contract Beekeeping, Hive Maintenance) (AFAEAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Bee Breeding & Genetics (Trait Selection, Stock Improvement) (AFAEAHAH), Package Bees & Colony Sales (AFAEAHAF), Beeswax Production & Processing (AFAEAHAB), Bee Health Management & Treatments (Mite/Disease Control Products & Services) (AFAEAHAK), Beekeeping & Apiculture (EDAOAOAL)
Keywords
Where The Beez Kneez is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grantsburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Beez Kneez business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Raw Honey Sales: Sales of locally-sourced, raw, unheated honey. Products include Country Wildflower, Honey-Apolis Wildflower, and Camp Beez Kneez Wildflower varieties sold in various sizes from 4oz to 18oz.
- Bee and Queen Sales: Sale of five-frame nucleus colonies (nucs) and northern-bred queens selected for winter hardiness, disease resistance, and gentle temperament. Nucs include marked queens from NW Wisconsin stock.
- Beeswax Products: Value-added products including handmade pure beeswax candles in various designs (bee skep, votives, hexagons, butterflies, hearts) and beeswax blocks for crafting.
- Body Care Products: Beez Lipz Body Balm made with organic sunflower oil, beeswax, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and essential oils (lavender or citrus). Sold in 2oz containers.
- Education and Classes: Revenue from beekeeping educational programming including Camp Beez Kneez membership, equipment building workshops, nuc management classes, and open apiary sessions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Five Frame Nuc - includes 5 frames of bees covering 3 brood frames, 1 honey frame, 1 pollen frame with marked queen |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Northern Queens - open-mated with drones from best performing colonies |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Raw Honey - various sizes and varieties |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Handmade Beeswax Candles |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beeswax Blocks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beez Lipz Body Balm |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Boxes |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Beez Kneez product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Beez Kneez is a non-migratory beekeeping operation that produces and sells raw, unheated wildflower honey extracted via its proprietary bicycle-powered Honey Cycle™, five-frame nucleus colonies and northern-bred queen bees selected for winter survival and mite resistance, handmade beeswax candles and body care products, and beekeeping education through the Camp Beez Kneez program. Sales are direct-to-consumer through the company website, Honey House pickup, regional co-ops, and winter farmers markets in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Product overview
The Beez Kneez is a non-migratory beekeeping operation offering a portfolio of honey and bee-related products. The core offerings include raw wildflower honey (sourced from various locations including urban apiaries and rural farms), Five Frame Nucs (overwintered bee colonies), and Northern Queens bred for winter survival and mite resistance. Value-added products include Beez Lipz Body Balm, handmade beeswax candles, and beeswax blocks. The company operates the Beez Kneez Honeycycle—a pedal-powered honey extractor—and offers honey extraction services at their Honey House location. Educational programs include Camp Beez Kneez, beekeeping classes, and open apiary workshops. Products are sold online, at farmers markets, and through retail partners in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Raw Country Wildflower Honey Raw, unheated wildflower honey sourced from rural partner apiaries, extracted using the Beez Kneez Honey Cycle™ pedal-powered system and never heated above hive temperature (~90°F). Sold in sizes from 4oz to 18oz and as a 4-pack of 3oz Tiny Jars.
- Honey-Apolis Wildflower Honey Urban-sourced wildflower honey collected from Twin Cities apiary partner sites, labeled with specific zip-code origin codes (e.g., #55105, #55409, #55406, #55407, #55416).
- Camp Beez Kneez Wildflower Honey Raw wildflower honey harvested from hives managed at Camp Beez Kneez teaching apiary sites, sold seasonally.
- Five Frame Nucs Overwintered nucleus colonies containing 5 frames of bees (3 brood, 1 honey, 1 pollen) with a marked queen selected for wintering, disease resistance, honey production, and gentleness; receive organic mite treatment before leaving the farm. Priced at $225 by check / $234 by credit card, available on-farm pickup mid-June.
- Northern Queens Mated northern queen bees open-mated with drones from best-performing colonies, sourced from VSH, POL, and Caucasian mother queen-lines, delivered in JZBZ cage with candy plug. Priced at $48 per queen, available June-August for on-farm pickup.
- Beez Lipz Body Balm 2oz multi-purpose body balm made from organic sunflower oil, beeswax, organic coconut oil, organic sweet almond oil, and organic essential oils (lavender or citrus). Priced at $9.00 per 2oz container.
- Handmade Beeswax Candles Pure beeswax candles handmade at the Honey House from honey-extraction cappings. Designs include Bee Skep, Small/Large Votives, 3/6 inch Hexagons, Morels, Honeybee, Butterfly, Heart, and Star shapes, starting from $3.15.
- Beeswax Blocks Pure beeswax blocks for crafting, sourced from honey extraction cappings, available in 1-ounce and 1-pound sizes starting from $2.62.
- Sweet Beez Light and Lipz Gift Box Curated gift box pairing honey with the Beez Lipz Body Balm, priced at $18.00.
- Zip to Honey-apolis Wildflower Gift Box Curated gift box featuring urban-sourced Honey-Apolis Wildflower honey, priced at $15.00.
- Tiny Jar Love Honey Wildflower 4-Pack Four-pack of 3oz raw wildflower honey in small jars, starting from $20.00.
- Honey Extraction Services Rental of the Beez Kneez Honeycycle pedal-powered honey extractor at the Honey House in Grantsburg, WI; customers receive $10 off the extraction service.
- Camp Beez Kneez Education Program Beekeeping education membership program offering classes, workshops, and open apiary sessions covering sustainable beekeeping practices, queen rearing, nuc management, equipment building, and bee behavior. Includes the Club Beez Kneez membership tier with discounts, educational access, and a free queen cell.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% winter survival rate achieved vs. 40-60% US average
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Beez Kneez
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Beez Kneez technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Beez Kneez partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- St. Catherine University (BioClub)corePartnership began in 2016 installing 2 honey bee hives on the GreenRoof at Fontebonne Hall. Site designated Honey-Apolis Wildflower #55105. University biology department and student club involved in hive management and education.
- The Bakken MuseumcoreOne of the first urban apiary partners in Minneapolis. Bees kept on museum grounds with educational programming about bees and pollination.
- Wellington Management (Greenway Office Building)corePartnership to host bees on green roof at LEED-certified office building. Building includes solar panels, geothermal heating, and native prairie grass lawn. Natural fit with pedal-powered beekeeping organization.
- Seward Community Co-opcoreBoth Franklin and Friendship store locations sell Beez Kneez honey. Co-op supports Healthy Bees Healthy Lives advocacy campaign. Mission-aligned with equitable economic relationships and positive environmental impacts.
- Burning River FarmcorePollinator-friendly farm host site in sustainable agriculture network. Climate-conscious farmer providing safe, productive home for bees with pesticide-free forage.
- Common Harvest FarmcorePollinator-friendly farm host site in sustainable agriculture network. Member of St. Croix Valley Food Alliance.
- Johnson Family PasturescorePollinator-friendly farm host site in sustainable agriculture network. Provides diverse, chemical-free floral sources for bees.
- Greenteeth FarmcorePollinator-friendly farm host site in sustainable agriculture network. Climate-conscious land stewardship.
- Turnip Rock Farm and Cosmic Wheel CreamerycorePollinator-friendly farm host site in sustainable agriculture network. Known for specialty vegetables and artisan cheese.
- St. Croix Valley Food AlliancecoreMembership organization of sustainable farmers. Beez Kneez proud member. Alliance members grow food sustainably and chemical-free, supporting all pollinators.
- BetterbeeminorEquipment supplier. Beez Kneez Honey House serves as pick-up location for Betterbee orders. Allows customers to order equipment for farm pickup.
- University of Minnesota Bee LabcoreThree+ year breeding program partnership. Queens from mothers that tested 100% hygienic. Working with UMN breeding program to produce hygienic and mite-resistant genetics.
- Adrian QuineycoreBeekeeper and queen stock partner. Provided VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene) Harbo breeder queen for grafting. Co-breeder of mite-resistant genetics.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Beez Kneez competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bee Local: Portland, Oregon-based raw, single-origin honey brand tracing each bottle to a specific neighborhood apiary — conceptually the closest analog to Beez Kneez's Honey-Apolis zip-coded honey in a different region.
- GloryBee: Eugene, Oregon-based vertically integrated honey and beekeeping company producing honey, beeswax, propolis, and beekeeping supplies, with educational programming. Highly comparable vertically integrated model spanning honey retail, beekeeping supplies, and value-added beeswax products.
- The Honey Exchange: Portland, Maine-based specialty honey retailer that sells local and global raw honey plus beeswax candles and body care. Operates a honey-tasting bar and educational programming, closely paralleling Beez Kneez's consumer experience and retail-channel approach.
- Mann Lake: Hackensack, Minnesota-based large beekeeping supply manufacturer and distributor selling equipment, bees (nucs/packages), queens, and tools — directly overlapping with Beez Kneez's nuc, queen, and educational offering, and the closest geographic large peer.
- Betterbee: Greenwich, New York-based beekeeping supply retailer and equipment manufacturer. Already an active partner (Beez Kneez Honey House serves as a Betterbee pickup location), making it a directly comparable supply-plus-equipment channel peer.
- Brushy Mountain Bee Farm: Long-running U.S. beekeeping equipment supplier offering woodenware, protective gear, and bees — directly comparable in equipment and queen supply, though with broader distribution reach.
- Dadant & Sons: One of the oldest U.S. beekeeping supply companies (founded 1863), offering bees, queens, equipment, and educational content. Comparable to Beez Kneez across the nuc/queen/equipment product trio with deeper scale.
Broad incumbents
- Miller Honey Farms: Multi-generation Washington-state commercial honey producer operating at much larger scale. Comparable on raw-honey retail and bulk distribution but represents the broader incumbent commercial model rather than Beez Kneez's small-batch, mission-driven approach.
Emerging players
- Chasing Honey: Northeast U.S. small-batch raw honey producer selling single-origin jars and beeswax products directly to consumers via e-commerce and farmers markets, overlapping on raw honey and value-added beeswax categories.
- Sweet Comb Chicago: Chicago urban-apiary honey brand sourcing from rooftop hives across the city and selling direct-to-consumer jars and beeswax products, similar in concept to Beez Kneez's urban apiaries.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Beez Kneez social profiles
Digital presenceThe Beez Kneez financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Beez Kneez leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Beez Kneez funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Beez Kneez M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Beez Kneez
What does The Beez Kneez do?
The Beez Kneez is a non-migratory beekeeping operation that produces and sells raw, unheated wildflower honey extracted via its proprietary bicycle-powered Honey Cycle™, five-frame nucleus colonies and northern-bred queen bees selected for winter survival and mite resistance, handmade beeswax candles and body care products, and beekeeping education through the Camp Beez Kneez program. Sales are direct-to-consumer through the company website, Honey House pickup, regional co-ops, and winter farmers markets in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Is The Beez Kneez a public or private company?
The Beez Kneez is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Beez Kneez founded?
The Beez Kneez was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Beez Kneez based?
The Beez Kneez is headquartered in Grantsburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Beez Kneez make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Raw Honey Sales are the primary driver. The others are bee and Queen Sales, beeswax Products, body Care Products and education and Classes.
Who are The Beez Kneez's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bee Local, GloryBee, The Honey Exchange, Mann Lake, Betterbee, Brushy Mountain Bee Farm and Dadant & Sons. Miller Honey Farms is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Chasing Honey and Sweet Comb Chicago.
Does The Beez Kneez have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Beez Kneez.
What industry is The Beez Kneez in?
The Beez Kneez's product category is Raw Honey and Beekeeping Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAHAJ, Apiary Management Services (Contract Beekeeping, Hive Maintenance), with a secondary code of AFAEAHAH, Bee Breeding & Genetics (Trait Selection, Stock Improvement). Its NAICS code is 112910.