Two businesses under one roof, our group took a visit to Crystal Clear Pools and HemBeez Honey where we heard from owner Crystal Hemby. The Hemby’s have been in the pool business for 25 years and the honey business for 12. Both of the busy seasons for each business complement one another. It was evident from the visit that Crystal has a true passion for honey bees. What started off in her family kitchen has now found a permanent spot in their business building.

One perk of touring a honey business is being able to sample the products. Crystal said when she develops new products she will spend 3-6 months test marketing them before adding them to her product line. She attends lots of markets and vendor fairs to sell her products, sometimes even developing special products just for those events. At first she did not have online purchasing, however after starting to sell online she saw a 213% increase. In fact, her products have created such a buzz that she now ships worldwide. From lotions to healing salve to
chapsticks, she just about has it all.

Crystal gave our future entrepreneurs some great insight and advice “you have to be able to laugh at yourself and accept failure”. When asked about the concept of community over competition she gave specific examples of how the community concept benefits everyone, they especially saw this during Covid.

Another great visit in the books, thank you! We even walked away with the cutest little sample of raw honey to take home 🐝 🍯