Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Wolfe.
Travis, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Bee Leaf USA was born out of a passion to not only save bees but save our planet and the generations that follow. In 2014, we had the good fortune to work with the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina to launch a honeybee program the construction for the new Marriott Hall was under-way. Initially, the hives served a few purposes centered around doing fun stuff at the hotel while satisfying requirements for the LEED Certification process.
Being on the Millennial Committee there, I had the opportunity to take it further and develop a bee program that utilized the honey in the kitchens and in partnerships with breweries around San Diego during the Craft Beer boom. In 2015 we partnered with Moneky Paw Brewing to create the Honeycomb Harvest: Honey Cream Ale.
Quickly after, I realized the opportunity that existed in the world of honeybees by introducing bees to businesses spanning from large scale hotels to commercial buildings, to residential backyards. Paired with the ability to rescue beehives in-between, I found there is a not only a sustainable business model but also supports my personal goals of Earth Stewardship and Compassionate Beekeeping. Thus was the start of Best Friend Bee’s, which is now Bee Leaf USA.
Today we have rescued hundreds of beehives across San Diego County and intend to rescue as many as 1000 bee colonies over the course of 2020. All the rescued hives are relocated to Pauma Valley-based Honeybee Sanctuary, Honeybee Road. Those hives get mellowed out and, once docile, become candidates for a bee program to source local honey from your own property. We manage the bees for folks, skipping the learning curve that comes with starting a beekeeping journey, in order to introduce bees back into society with a more healthy and happy vision.
Our goal is to drive the urban beekeeping bus in the USA, empowering individuals to keep bees naturally and safely. We seek to move away from the model of “One beekeeper with 60,000 hives and shift to 60,000 beekeepers each connected to their own hives.”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life is full of struggles, no matter what. However, we have been incredibly blessed with the challenges of starting a honeybee company as it is our passion to save the bees and shift the negative paradigm surrounding them.
Like most business start-ups, we are challenged with staffing the right folks to build the best team, gaining new clients to continue our growth, seasonal nature of the business, administration, and helping others understand the value in what we do and that we are not just “get rid of bugs” people, but Earth Stewards seeking to make the world a better place while it has not been smooth, our joy surrounding what we do certainly offset any negativity.
Please tell us about Bee Leaf USA.
Bee Leaf USA Specializes in comprehensive beekeeping services including:
– Live Bee Rescue & Relocation
– Design, Installation, and Management of On-site Honeybee Apiaries
– Custom Honey Bottling and Packaging
– Honeybee Education & Sanctuary Tours (Coming later in 2020)
– Fostering Collaborations between our clients and breweries/distilleries
– Apiary Consulting
As a company, we are most proud of the heart we have for what we do and the commitment to the bees. While we could save more money by putting the bees at risk in some situations, we go the distance to ensure our bees are happy and it is worth every bit of it. We are compassionate beekeepers and our clients see it.
What were you like growing up?
A naturalist. I love flowers, dirt, bugs, trees, mountains, animals, or anything that is nature-oriented. I spent all my time outside and loved building anything I could with my hands. I spent (probably too much) time at the beach with my three siblings and parents. We grew-up camping at So-Cal beaches, deserts, forests, and anywhere that we could be surrounded by nature. While I kept to myself often, it was there, on my own, that I realized where my love was and that was in the Earth.
Contact Info:
- Address: 323 20th Street
San Diego, CA 92102 - Website: www.BeeLeafUSA.com
- Phone: (619) 964-2454
- Email: Travis.Wolfe@beeleafusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beeleafusa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beeleafusa/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bee-leaf-usa-san-diego?osq=bee+leaf+usa
Image Credit:
Travis Wolfe
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