Keez Beez Birthday Beehive
Keez Beez
Birthday Beehive
On the verge of retiring in Marathon, Florida, Isabella and John grew passionate about the scarcity of bees in their local community. The couple began researching the importance of bees and quickly came to the realization they wanted to actively participate in making a change. At an early age, John learned how to handle bees and extract honey with his English family. Isabella’s Venezuelan and Colombian grandparents were strongly connected to nature during her upbringing and emphasized the importance of fresh/natural products. Fast forward a few decades, it is no surprise that John and Isabella’s passions have led them to honey production.
As a joke, Isabella gifted John a beehive for his birthday. She convinced her friend to give her a colony of bees and they placed John’s birthday beehive on their balcony. This was the seed that led to the birth of their honey business. John and Isabella initially shared their homegrown honey with their neighbors who soon encouraged them to sell their honey locally. When the surplus of honey took up their kitchen, Isabella and John recognized they needed to expand and became one of the Florida Fresh Markets’ most successful vendors.
Isabella attributes a lot of Keez Beez’s success to Iris, Florida Fresh Markets’ founder, and their common value of professional integrity. Iris gave a recommendation to Milam’s Market on behalf of Keez Beez, and Milam’s Market became Isabella and John’s first grocery store partnership. You can now purchase Keez Beez products in Milam’s Market, Winndixie, Publix, Whole Foods, the Ritz Carlton, and other large hotels. In less than eight years, Keez Bees has reached all of Florida, especially South Florida, from the Keys. From a birthday beehive to over 600 beehives, Keez Beez has made an incredible contribution to the bee community in South Florida engaging with city gardens, botanical events, and students to educate them on the significance/necessity of bees.
Isabella and John remind us to believe in our ideas and dreams, and if you work hard, you will triumph.
What Isabella says about Florida Fresh Markets:
“My favorite thing about Florida Fresh Markets is their professionalism and commitment to constantly growing and delivering the best!”