Inspiring Conversations with Carly Kremer of Beekeeper’s Naturals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Kremer.

Hi Carly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I suffered for years with an autoimmune condition. Over-the-counter remedies just didn’t work for me. I was on a European trip in my 20s when I had a severe case of tonsillitis for, like the fourth time that year. A pharmacist in Italy recommended I try propolis, which is a powerful bee-derived ingredient that’s been used as a healing remedy for centuries. It’s a mix of tree and plant resin created by bees to protect the hive – and it protects humans too! This ancient remedy has been known to boost immunity and is filled with natural vitamins, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds.

It was life changing. My tonsillitis cleared up, and, as I kept using it, I had way fewer autoimmune flare ups. Although it’s pretty widely used in Europe, at the time, most people in the U.S. had never heard of propolis, which is crazy to me. And it’s not just propolis, but all the other amazing things bees make. We know about honey, but that’s just the beginning. The more I dove into the scientific research around propolis and royal jelly and pollen, the more I thought, “I have to figure out how to share this with more people.” That led me to launch.

That experience led me to begin beekeeping and formulating all-natural health and wellness products. Then I decided to take the leap and leave my banking job at Goldman Sachs to start Beekeeper’s Naturals. It started as just me selling my products at farmers markets. Now we have a company with dozens of employees that sells one bottle of Propolis Immune Support Spray every 15 seconds. Our products are best-sellers on Amazon and are sold at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, CVS, Erewhon, Spouts and many other retailers. It’s our mission to reinvent the medicine cabinet with science-backed solutions that are clean, effective and safe for individuals and families.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like any entrepreneur, it hasn’t always been an easy path, but it’s one I wouldn’t trade for the world. There was one big moment that happened two years after launching the company that was a turning point for me. It was 2019 and it happened just as the business began scaling. As we were raising money, our lead investor fell through after months of negotiations. At that time, we decided to walk away from their revised offer and open conversations with new investors.
Our new investor defied conventional wisdom in the heyday of DTC and advised that we focus on retail. Beekeeper’s Naturals landed national partnerships with Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, moving from a direct-to-consumer brand into a household name in the wellness space. That challenge taught me to trust my instincts, double down on our mission, and know our value. It turned out to be the greatest gift.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Beekeeper’s Naturals, our mission is to reinvent the medicine cabinet with clean, science-backed remedies powered by the hive that you and your family can trust. Our brand is purpose-driven and our bee products are grounded in science, powered by nature, and designed for families.

I’m a big believer in sustainable beekeeping and creating products in a pesticide-free environment. That’s one reason we don’t work with beekeepers in the U.S. We intentionally work with beekeepers in Brazil, Canada and Spain, for example, who have sustainable practices. It’s been inspiring to see small-scale beekeepers grow their business alongside ours. We’re working together to create an industry of responsibility, community, and sustainability.

These regenerative practices don’t just ensure our bees are thriving in a safe habitat. It means we can guarantee our customers the cleanest bee products in the world. We now own the sustainable supply chain and these things that were a huge challenge to set up in the early days are actually the things that make it impossible for competition to match our quality standard. And while many bee populations are declining, we’re actually seeing our bee populations grow year over year. It’s a testament to what can happen when you take pesticides out of the equation.

We don’t add any unnecessary chemicals into our products, either. This fall we launched a clean version of a fast-acting soothing throat spray with natural ingredients and no artificial anesthetics, numbing agents, or dyes. Many cough syrups that contain dyes are banned in European countries. The irony is that the medicine we take to make us better can actually make us sicker–some of these dyes are linked to thyroid tumors in rats. The U.S. announced that it would ban FD&C Red No. 3 last January, but the ban won’t go into effect for medications until January 2028. With Propolis Throat Soother, we’re providing a version of a popular over-the-counter remedy without the bad stuff.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Check us out on Instagram or at BeekeepersNaturals.com and this holiday, give the gift of wellness. Have Santa leave some fiber lollipops in a stocking or pamper yourself with propolis.

Pricing:

• We offer our products as stand alone items, as part of a subscription or you can build a bundle where you can mix and match with a bundle of 3 or more products for 15% off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beekeepersnaturals.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beekeepers_naturals/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@beekeepers_naturals

Image Credits
Credit: Beekeeper’s Naturals