Honeybee Market opens in Daphne with goal to reduce waste

New business sells sustainable, plant-based products

By Allison Marlow
Posted 12/3/21

There has to be a better way.

That was the thought filling Melissa Kennair’s mind last year as she was filling her grocery cart with plastic bottles full of household cleaners.

She was …

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Honeybee Market opens in Daphne with goal to reduce waste

New business sells sustainable, plant-based products

Posted

There has to be a better way.

That was the thought filling Melissa Kennair’s mind last year as she was filling her grocery cart with plastic bottles full of household cleaners.

She was tired of the waste. She was tired of knowing there were better options that were not being utilized. She went home tearful and weary.

And then, she found a better way.

Last month Kennair opened the Honeybee Market in Daphne, a shop that specializes in sustainable, plant-based brands, many crafted locally and largely by women-led businesses. Cleaners and soaps are measured into jars and recycled bottles that are donated or brought in by customers. Plastic containers do not go to waste here and are not prepackaged.

Kennair, who moved to Daphne four years ago from New Orleans, left the store that day with one goal, to reduce the amount of plastic waste in her household. She spent hours online searching for options and shifted her entrepreneurial spirit into high gear once she discovered hundreds of sustainable products available to small markets. Within months she opened the doors to Honeybee Market.

Now customers can purchase plant-based, sustainable cosmetics, cleaning supplies, pet products, menstrual products, bamboo brushes and more at the store, located on Highway 98 in Daphne.

The best part of the day, she says, is teaching visitors why these products are important.

“For younger generations, I think they get it. We are used to hearing this. But for the older generation they have the mindset, it’s just one bottle. They don’t realize that one plastic bottle turns into thousands,” Kennair said. “Once I explain it, they get it.”

At Honeybee visitors can fill their own containers with liquid cleaning products, shampoos, and more. Containers are weighed before they are filled so customers do not pay for the weight of the container.

Kennair said some products are more expensive than name brands at the big box stores while others are more affordable. Laundry soap at Honeybee, for example, costs 40 cents an ounce and because the mix is concentrated it requires just a tablespoon or less per load.

Castile soap can be used to wash everything from dogs to dishes, Kennair said, and requires just half a teaspoon per gallon of water making it one of the most affordable cleaning options on the market.

Since opening her doors last month, Kennair has had a steady stream of customers and even been offered an opportunity to franchise the business, which she turned down.

Her goal remains steadfast: educate and reduce waste.

“I hope for people to realize that every little, small change we do makes a difference” Kennair said. “People think, ‘It’s just me. I can never make a difference’. But it does. Everything we do makes a difference.”