MAHOMET, IL (Chambana Today) – What started as a simple desire to nurture the earth has blossomed into a flourishing business for a Mahomet family passionate about sustainability, community, and pollinator education.

Their journey began in 2016 with the birth of their first daughter, an event that inspired them to embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle. Their first step was switching to cloth diapers. This choice led to green living and ignited a life devoted to sustainability. That same year, they established Maple Street Garden, complete with raised beds and arches, where they began cultivating heirloom vegetables, fruits, and tea. As their garden thrived, they expanded their efforts by venturing into beekeeping in 2018. Starting with just one hive, their apiary soon grew to three through swarm catching and hive extractions, reflecting their deep love for pollinators and their role in the ecosystem.

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in 2020 they were furloughed from work and caring for a daughter with immune challenges. They turned to their garden and apiary and started selling their fresh produce and honey at the Mahomet farmer’s market. Encouraged by the positive response from marketgoers, the family opened a small shop called The Hive by Maple Street Garden, repurposing an old classroom in a former school building. The shop focused on selling their honey, pollinator-friendly gifts, and offering education about bees.

By 2024, their business had outgrown its original space. In May of that year, they opened The Hive Honey Beetique, located at 1828 Patton Drive, Suite 2 & 3, in Mahomet.

The expanded Beetique offers much more than honey. Visitors can select unique gifts, including beeswax candles, medicinal honey, sage bundles, earthy decor, and even honey sourced from around the world. The new space has a honey tasting room, where guests can sample up to 20 varieties of honey, including seasonal offerings from the family’s three apiaries and others from local beekeepers.

The shop also boasts a workshop space, hosting creative activities such as soap-making, fairy garden crafting, and wickless candle-making. The space is available for private rentals, guided activities, or drop-in DIY sessions, making it a hub for creativity and community engagement.

The Beetique also offers three options for creative activities:

  • Room Rental Only: Ideal for meetings and events.
  • Guided Activities: Includes Fairy Gardens, Wickless Candle Making, and Honey Soap Making.
  • DIY Drop-Ins: Unguided projects like Beeswax Candle Rolling and Wickless Candle Making.

Their beekeeping efforts have expanded as well, with 25 hives across Mahomet and Champaign County producing a variety of honey, from light and sweet to rich and dark. They even offer comb honey—the purest form of honey, still encased in its natural beeswax comb.

“Our shop is more than just a business; it’s a reflection of our love for the earth and our commitment to sustainability,” the family shared. “We’re so grateful for the support of our community, which allows us to keep growing, educating, and sharing the magic of pollinators.”

Follow The Hive Honey Beetique on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, call (217) 262-9273 or sign up for their newsletter at thehivemahomet.com.