There is unique buzz these days running through the Village of Mahomet, about 15 minutes west of Champaign, and the intrigue centers on an experiential retail store, The Hive Honey Boutique, owned by Jessica Trefzger.

“I love being a retailer, because I love being able to make a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis,” Jessica shared with a smile. “I do so in the way that we treat our customers, but also in the offerings that we can provide them.

“It’s not just about selling honey or beeswax candles,” Jessica explained. “It’s about creating a space where people can learn, explore, and feel inspired to live more sustainably. When you know your customers, you can create something that truly matters to them, that’s how you build a business that lasts.”

Jessica sells small-batch honey at her store from beekeepers from across the country as well as spring, summer and fall flow honey from the 40 hives that she operates with her husband across 4 apiaries in Mahomet. The Hive Honey Beetique also features a wide range of bee-related products, a tasting room, and a workshop where customers can create bee-themed crafts.

“We’re also beginning to make a lot more with our commercial kitchen, like different types of recipes and teas,” shared Jessica. “We sell products from all around the world and are very passionate about supporting all beekeepers. If it’s just about the products, why be a brick-and-mortar? You can sell those online. If you’re going to be a brick-and-mortar, I really think you need to sell an experience.

“I love to see people light up when they walk into my Beetique,” said Jessica. “Customers tell me how unique it is and how meaningful it is, or someone comes in because they saw a social media post that I made about sage smudging on Halloween, and it lifted their spirits and made their whole week different.”

Jessica’s also points out the diversity among bees, explaining how different breeds, like the docile Italians (bees) or the more assertive Russians (bees), bring their own unique temperaments to the hive.

From the store’s beginnings in a repurposed classroom to its current, larger space, The Hive Honey Beetique has grown into a community hub for bee and honey enthusiasts.

A new future pollinated

Jessica says her fascination with bees took shape unexpectedly while working as a physical therapist.

“I was working with a patient that had a frozen shoulder,” Jessica recalled. “A frozen shoulder takes a really long time to recover, so we were together every week for many, many weeks. She was a beekeeper, and I had to help her and train her into being able to get back to doing what she was doing.”

That relationship evolved into a passion for Jessica as a beekeeper, but it was not until the COVID pandemic that she made the pivot to be a bee retailer. She had been furloughed from her job as a therapist and wanted new professional fulfillment.

“I came home and told my husband that I wanted to do beekeeping, and he said, ‘okay,’” Jessica shared with a laugh. “I discovered all these uses for honey and beeswax during that time, and people that we spoke with were very interested in some of the things that we were doing, which encouraged me to learn more. I realized just how many people don’t know about honey.”

Jessica and her husband started small, with a backyard garden they called Maple Street Garden and three beehives.

They began selling their honey at a farmer’s market in Mahomet, and Jessica said the response was overwhelmingly positive.

“It just kept growing, especially with the honey,” Jessica noted. “We made the hard decision to follow this journey,”

The choice was influenced not only by their growing business but also by personal circumstances. Their daughter developed an autoimmune health issue, and the pandemic made working outside feel safer.

“We found that working outside was easy, so doing pop-ups at the market was something we felt comfortable with,” Jessica explained. “We homeschooled (her daughter) until a vaccine came around, so the way that we chose this path really helped us to support everything that we needed to during that season of our life.”

In March 2020, Jessica officially launched her business as a vendor, and in 2021 opened a brick-and-mortar inside of another building in Mahomet, Jessica explained.

“When we first started in a smaller space, most of our customers were people who love to garden,” Jessica recalled. “They were already nature people, looking for something, and once they found us, that was our customer. Now that we have more visibility, we’re offering more to a lot of different people.”

The original location for the Beetique, however, came with a set of challenges for the burgeoning business.

“There were temperature control issues, no signage or visibility, and it was very difficult to get people to know that we existed inside of there,” Jessica recalled. “After being there about six months, we realized that we needed to probably go somewhere with more visibility,”

Jessica said finding the right location in Mahomet was not easy. “All of the brick-and-mortars had been occupied in the area, so we were looking at other towns, wondering how we were going to do it,” said Jessica.

A breakthrough came when Jessica learned about a new retail project in Mahomet.

“We heard about our present space that was developing, but they were about two years away from that being completed,” Jessica reflected.

Armed with a clear vision for the future, Jessica signed a lease agreement and waited while continuing to operate in her original location. Finally, in March 2024, Jessica opened the current iteration of The Hive Honey Beetique.

Getting a hive to blossom

When The Hive Honey Beetique opened in its new space, Jessica wanted her store to showcase an experience for her customers.

“To be successful, you can’t just market to a small town,” Jessica explained. “If you’re in a small town, you definitely have to try to get the word out. We do marketing with radio and news ads, but the majority of the way people find us is through our social media.

“Most people think they don’t like honey, and they have no idea all the things you can do with it,” said Jessica with a warm glint in her eyes. “So, we decided to open a brick-and-mortar to show them, bring it to them, and connect them with nature. We want to make hive-to-table something they can enjoy in their own home.”

All honey is not the same, Jessica noted. In fact, honey can have different tastes and textures.

“What really changes the honey is the flowers,” explained Jessica. “The flowers in each season, all over the world, change the flavor, the consistency, and even the medicinal properties of the honey.

“There are many things that are unique and amazing about the magical world of honeybees,” said Jessica who proudly shared her knowledge about honeybees. “They’re very intelligent. They can even learn their beekeepers. They speak to each other through dances. They know so much more than what most people realize. The way that they operate is pretty amazing.”

The medical benefits of honey are a point of discussion for Jessica. She wanted us to know that honey is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory.

“When you eat local honey, it can boost your immunity for local pollen allergies,” said Jessica. “That’s why people tell you to eat local honey.”

The Honey Hive Beetique also features specialty honeys, most notably Manuka honey from New Zealand, which is renowned for its powerful medicinal properties.

“These types of honeys are really good for the skin and have amazing health benefits,” Jessica added with a smile. “There are also different flavors. You may have tried a honey you don’t like very much, but how do you know you don’t like honey unless you’ve tried all of them?”

The tasting experience begins the moment shoppers walk through the door, where customers are greeted with a very large hive tree. “Most bees’ natural habitat is inside of a tree, so we wanted to incorporate that into our space,” noted Jessica with enthusiasm.

Visitors can explore what Jessica refers to as Honey Island, a tasting area featuring roughly 20 varieties of honey or participate in the shop’s wide range of workshops.

“We have a hive workshop where you can do candle making, soap making, or create fairy gardens,” said Jessica. “Our whole backyard is basically one huge fairy garden, and it’s so fun to watch children connect with nature and imagine. We decided to bring that magic inside.”

The Beetique also offers beekeeping classes and products for local beekeepers.

“We sell beekeeping products here, so if someone needs a hive tool or their smoker fell apart, they can stop in,” Jessica explained. “Once a year, we also offer the opportunity to purchase bees and pick them up.

“We matter because, in a world where we’re so disconnected from nature, we want to help people reconnect,” Jessica said. “That really does change a lot for people. It’s what we’re supposed to be doing.”

Building a dream

Jessica said her journey with The Hive Honey Beetique has been somewhat similar to a honeybee, in that it has been filled with hard work and foundationally instructive.

“I would like to tell someone that’s about to start a retail business to know your brand and know your customers,” explained Jessica. “The capital is important. You could spend all your capital on the wrong things for the wrong people. Know why you’re doing it. Have a mission. Know your purpose.

“I’m having fun doing this, because I can work all day and not even feel like I’ve worked at all, and that’s really the magic of it. I’m creating tiny sparks of magic in everyone’s life, and that just fills my cup.”