Today we’d like to introduce you to Briesa Ruby.
Hi Briesa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My husband Josh started beekeeping from the age of 7 and it was his goal from then to be a commercial beekeeper. When we got married we were gifted 8 beehives and grew it all from there.
We are now a husband and wife commercial beekeeping company from Florida. About 5 years ago we had the opportunity to send some of our bees to southern Michigan to get them out of the harsh Florida summers and hopefully help save some of our hives. Since then we move our entire operation (500 hives) and family (4 dogs and soon to be 4 kids) to live in Benton Harbor every summer. We work the bees, produce honey, and supply local farms with crop pollination. We live in Benton Harbor but keep bees throughout Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, and Jackson counties.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, but we are both people of faith and have seen the Lord’s provision and blessings in what we do and that has been very encouraging in letting us know we’re on the correct path for our family.
Over the years the Lord has lead us into decisions that our families disagreed with. The first of which was me quitting my job as an ER nurse to stay home with our first child and run the beekeeping business from the back (administrative) so that Josh could focus on the bees. When we got started, Josh had to work other jobs in addition to beekeeping to be able to fund the startup of that endeavor. But me staying home to advertise and develop retail products eventually led to Josh being able to work the bees full time and the bees eventually supporting us as well as themselves.
The other “risky decision,” one that no one agreed with was us living in Michigan for the summers. Josh and I were both homeschooled and grew up in very close families from our town in Naples, FL. It took our families a couple years to adjust to the aspect of us leaving for the summers. But now everyone has seen that this was the path that the Lord laid out for us and He has allowed our business and lives to flourish from it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We produce high-quality raw honey, infused honey, and beeswax products local to Southern Florida and Southern Michigan. With only 1 employee, we personally oversee the care of all our bees as well as our products.
As honey is one of the top 3 most adultered food products on the market, our ultimate goal is to provide as many people as possible with raw, high-quality, and unadulterated honey for both flavor and nutrition at a reasonable price.
We sell our products in person, at fairs, and partner with local shops.
Another aspect of our business is working with local farmers in Florida and Michigan where we supply bees for crop pollination services to help feed the community.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
We both try to spend daily time reading the Bible. As we both do a lot of driving, Josh listens to various podcasts from other beekeepers and scientists about the most up-to-date beekeeping practices. One of his favorites is Randy Oliver.
The kids are normally with me so we read and listen to a variety of different types of literature, from history to fantasy. Whatever will help keep the kids’ minds engaged and help them build their character and imaginations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therubees.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_rubees_honey/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rubees_honey
