When Mikaila Ulmer was just four years old, she was stung by two bees in the same week. Her parents encouraged her to do some research on the bees rather than being upset with them. Upon discovering the important role that bees play in our ecosystem, Mikaila was determined to help them. Using her Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed honey lemonade recipe, Mikaila launched her business from her home in Austin, Texas in 2009. Landing a deal with Daymond John on the show Shark Tank was just the beginning of Me & the Bees’ many business successes. Today, the award-winning lemonade is buzzing off the shelves of Whole Foods Markets, Wegmans, and natural and organic food stores across the country. At just 13 years old, Mikaila has shared her story with Good Morning America, NBC News, The Real, Forbes and TIME among others, and has been invited to speak on social entrepreneurship at prestigious gatherings including the White House United State of Women Summit, where she introduced President Barack Obama, Microsoft We Day, alongside Satya Nadella and the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Summit in South Africa.
"Don’t be discouraged by life’s little stings, get back up and spread your wings." —Mikaila Ulmer, CEO
Me & the Bees premium lemonade is sweetened with honey, containing BEE-utifully simple ingredients, including mint, ginger, prickly pear, and black tea. Every bottle is “Clean Label” (containing no high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial flavors!) Glass bottles are sustainable and fully recyclable!
Giving back has always been our mission at Me & the Bees. From the very beginning, Mikaila invested a portion of the profits from the sale of her lemonade to organizations fighting hard to save the honey bees—organizations like Heifer International (provides gifts of honey to needy families around the world, stimulating growth of the bee crops through pollination), Texas Beekeepers Assocation (supports ongoing research through Texas A&M University on the preservation of bees in the state of Texas), and the Sustainable Food Center of Austin (helping strengthen the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food). Me & the Bees encourages everyone to Buy a Bottle...Save the Bees. Most recently, Mikaila launched her own nonprofit, Healthy Hive Foundation. Through research, education and preservation, the Healthy Hive Foundation is dedicated to increasing honeybee awareness and the number of safe environments for bees to survive and thrive. After all, our fuzzy friends are the littlest and biggest links in our food chain and they need our help to stay busy, healthy, and productive!
Mikaila’s influence lies in her story, with many of her users engaging with posts about how she built her company. Her story is mentioned most on Twitter. Mikaila’s largest followings are on Facebook and Instagram*.
"Give it up for Mikaila with her entrepreneurial self. I will be back on the job market in 7 months so I hope she is hiring." —Barack Obama, POTUS
AWARDS
Time Magazine 30 Most Influential Teenagers
Tribeca Film Festival Disruptive Innovator Award
National Retail Foundation (NRF): Entrepreneur Shaping Retail’s Future
Ebony Magazine Ebony Power100 #Black Excellence
Jay Chiat Award: Silver, The Launch and Rebranding of Me & the Bees Brand
Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal of Honor
Environmental Entrepreneur of the Year Award Grass Roots Community Foundation #Black Girl Excellence
Rising Star Entrepreneur Award, Austin Chamber of Commerce
meandthebees.com
Social Media: mikailasbees