06/10/2026
Six months ago, we decided to do it. After keeping bees for a decade and giving away most of our honey and hand-made goods, we bit the bullet and went FULL SEND.
We had no official 'logo,' except the beginning work of my daughter. We had no official tags, no true or streamlined packaging, no systems, no way to track profits or losses, and no way of knowing that we'd need to learn how to scale in an almost desperate fashion.
I had set for myself the goal of doing 2 events for the 'farm' when we rolled into 2026. I figured that'd take all year to plan and execute.
That was before we got on board with The Colorado Honeybee Festival in Grand Junction in April. The event took place on my brother's birthday, which made the endeavor even more special. My mom flew in from West Virginia and both kids jumped in to support a dream that could still only TRULY be seen by me.
That day, which was simply meant to serve as proof of concept for us, propelled us into the wildest year of our lives. My kitchen looks like a warehouse exploded and no surface is left without the sticky residue of honey. And we're learning. Learning what to continue, what to leave behind, how to pivot, how to give ourselves grace, and how to fail forward.
Those 2 shows have turned into contracts with entire cities, the evolution of design (that we're still working on), projections well into 2027, and more frustration than I expected.
We didn't get everything right. We never will. But I know this....being obsessed with the customer experience will find you favor even when the wheels fall off the bus.
Here's to the legacy we inherited, and the one we're leaving behind.
TALITHA KOUM.
