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Behind the scenes of local brand Basic Bee’s flavored honey, cocktail cubes and butters

When Annie Laurie noticed a beehive moving into the ceiling of the deck of her old home, she saw an opportunity rather than a problem. Instead of getting rid of the bees, she and her family decided to try beekeeping.

This experience inspired her to open the online honey shop Basic Bee in 2016. Since then, Laurie’s business has expanded from just honey to flavored honey, cocktail cubes and board butter.

Keep reading for more about this local brand. And for more information, visit basicbeeshop.com or follow along at @basicbeeshop.


1. What was your reason for starting Basic Bee? When did it open, and how has it grown or changed since then?

My family had a very large beehive move into the ceiling of our deck at our old home. So, we decided to try our hand at beekeeping. By 2016 we had more honey than we could handle, and that is when Basic Bee started. I started with a partner, and White Light Night 2016 was our first time trying to sell to the public. At the time we made beauty products and cocktail cubes. By 2018, it was just me, and I decided to streamline the business down to just food items. We had the Bourbon Honey and the Cocktail Cubes, but it was time to expand the line.

2. What sets Basic Bee apart?
My unique uses of honey to make our cocktail cubes and special flavors set us apart.

3. What are some of your best-selling products?
In Baton Rouge, it is without a doubt our Bourbon Honey. We really love our bourbon in Baton Rouge!

4. Can you share a hint of what shoppers will see next season?
I am developing a couple of new flavors, but also trying some different packaging. There may be some on-the-go options in the works as well.

5. What is one thing customers should know about Basic Bee that they may not be aware of?

One thing customers should know is that more than 90% of the small businesses I work with are female owned. It’s all women supporting women and I love it.

This story originally appeared in inRegister. To keep up with inRegistersubscribe to the free inRegister@Home e-newsletter here.