We recently connected with Crystal Seeley and have shared our conversation below.
Crystal , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?
My hero is, my husband, friend, and mentor, Frank Seeley because he is determined to keep things natural as nature intended. Beekeeping is meant to be about taking care of these bee-autiful insects the way God intended it. His mind set is not about following what is new, easy, or convenient. He is dedicated to taking care of bees the old fashioned way; simply and letting the bees take the lead. My favorite lesson that he has taught me is; bees can’t read! Bees do not care about other people’s opinions. They care about taking care of the hive, the queen, and making sure that ALL bees are taken care of! We are not meant to take over and take control; when we do that is when disaster happens and that is when a hive will fail. Beekeepers who are in it for the profit are not in it to take care of the bees and share the excitement that comes from taking care of them. My passion, love, and excitement of beekeeping and bees has come from him sharing this part of his lessons. This is how he has learned to care for bees. That is why we are so excited to get people to plant more flowers and stop using pesticides. The bees need flowers to survive properly for they collect the nectar to make honey that we consume. The less flowers there are the more beekeepers have to feed their bees sugar water for the bees to survive. There is no nutrition in sugar which means there is no nutrition in the honey. He has taught me how important plants are for all parts of our ecosystem to survive. These are the lessons he is also passing on to our daughters so they can help fight for the bees in the future! He has taught us that sometimes you have to fight harder to do the right thing!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Frank started beekeeping about 30+ years ago when he learned his son, Matt, was having trouble with asthma and allergies. Frank was told to start his son on raw straight from the hive honey for his allergies! Matt soon was able to get off of his medications, except for an inhaler. Frank soon started learning about the process of beekeeping and the huge benefits the products from the hive provide for people inside and out. With Matt still struggling with his asthma; Frank started digging more and found out that the fragrances in the body care products they used at home can be irritating for asthma! That is what lead Frank to learn about essential oils and how they can help the body as well!
In 2003, Crystal started culinary arts and started breaking out in rashes and having cuts on her hands from washing her hands all the time. Frank had been working on soap for some time and gave her some to try. Working together they were finding that the fragrances and the chemicals in the soaps she was using were causing her skin to crack open and bleed. The soap that Frank was making was helping to calm her skin and the rashes and cuts soon were disappearing.
In 2013, Frank and Crystal were able to continue learning and sharing what they learned at The Honey Cottage! It is at The Honey Cottage where they are both able to share their excitement of beekeeping, bees, essential oils, honeys, and the many gifts that come from the hive and natural living. They love to give taste samples because nobody’s taste buds are the same and it gives the customers the opportunities to ask questions on how to use the honeys! It gives comfort to the customer that they are getting a product that they know they will enjoy!
At The Honey Cottage they have a selection of Colorado, gourmet, straight from the hive, and whipped honeys. There are honey jams, honey mustards, honey sauces, hot honey, hot honey sauce, and honey syrups. They have 100% beeswax candles, bee pollen, propolis, honey lotions, and honey lip balms. They also have honey chocolates, sticks, spoons, suckers, caramels, and candies!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I have had to unlearn is honey is no different then sugar.
I wanted to help people learn more about their body and about how food worked after I found out I had issues with MSG. I had started going to school for a nutrition degree and was frustrated when one of the teachers said there is no difference between sugar and honey. Coincidently, two months later a study came out that found that most store bought honey was basically corn syrup. So I learned that yes the teacher was right on that point. However, everything I had been learning from Frank showed me that raw honey straight from the hive was WAY DIFFERENT! There are vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, flavonoids, and different sugars that are in raw honey! I as overly excited when I met Doctor Fessenden a while later because he stated that raw honey is used by the body while white sugar is not. The body does not know what to do with white sugar, but with honey your body and your brain use the sugars to get your health back to normal. Raw honey also will not feed cancer like sugar can because it is an alkaline ash food. The best part; HONEY COMES FROM FLOWERS! The same flowers that produce our food supply!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
We have learned through the many years of running this business that the best way to get people to The Honey Cottage is; by word of mouth and our taste samplings! I have had so many customers bring their friends, family, and neighbors into our shop! They LOVE that they can try before they buy and that they are able to get recipe ideas before even walking out. They have even been happy to learn we are working on recipes on our blog showing how we use honey. People love that they can come in and ask questions about crystallized honey, or what to do with honey, or what plants should they plant for the bees. Customers like that we are willing to share our thoughts, ideas, and what we have learned. I have had so many people walk out and have learned something new about bees that they did not know before! Many people like the selection of honeys and that it is not the same one everyday; they like variety! A lot of customers love the fact that we are excited and passionate about what we sell!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thehoneycottage.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/beequeen60
- Facebook: facebook.com/thehoneycottage
- Twitter: twitter.com/thehoneycottage
Image Credits
Crystal Seeley Frank Seeley