Hi there, I'm Carrie Williams Howe, founder of The Happy Hive.

I was inspired to create products with beeswax when we became beekeepers. After dabbling in lotions and candles, I realized that the power of beeswax in the home was an under-tapped opportunity.

I fell in love with the idea that beeswax could help old things look new again, and even keep things from being thrown away. Cutting boards could last for generations, cast iron pans and carbon steel knives could be protected from rust, leather could be brought back to its former glory, and wooden furniture could shine again - all with the help of beeswax.

The Happy Hive was born, and still lives, in a small workshop at our Homestead here in Vermont. We like keeping things small and personal, and love selling directly to our customers or through local farm markets and gift shops. We don't produce all of the wax we need from our hives, so I source directly from other beekeepers to support their apiaries.

Our motto is inspired by the bees who collect pollen for their hives (the female bees, mind you). In doing so, they also serve an essential role in the pollination process that sustains the world around us. Like the bees, we wanted this business to be "good for us, and good for the world."

And, yes #womenowned.