What does bees, honey, and mental health have in common? Half Mad Honey is a local small business whose wholesome goal is to empower people with mental health issues through the therapeutic factors of beekeeping.
Founded by Amelia and Natasha Pham, two lovers passionate about beekeeping and bettering the community, they created this business to bring awareness to the importance of mental health wellness. It is their mission to show that therapy can indeed go beyond clinical settings.
Half Mad Honey is a not only a safe space for anyone looking to learn about the importance of bees and to connect with nature, but also to build confidence in themselves.
The business name “Half Mad Honey” comes from the derogatory term for mentally unwell people “mad” and from an amber-colored Turkish honey called “mad honey” which has hallucinatory properties.
Amelia and Natasha wanted to incorporate both beekeeping and mental health to de-stigmatize the ‘madness.’
Established in 2021, this small businesses is a pillar for the community, both human and bees! With the diminishing bee population but the high demand for honey, proper beekeeping is essential to the future. The founders of Half Mad Honey are working to attract more people to the industry.
Specifically, being a part of the queer community, Natasha and Amelia are creating a more diverse, younger, and energized community open to agriculture and apiculture.
Apiary Therapy
Apiary therapyis an outdoor therapy session that focuses on mindfulness, grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation while being around the buzzing bees. This experience can be conducted between peers or with a licensed therapist. This method of therapy is an alternative to clinical sessions that take place in an office or room, and can be more effective for certain people. Sessions can be reserved on the third weekend of every month from June to October.
In addition to teaching about beekeeping and apiary therapy, they also give hive tours, and of course, they sell honey and honey-made and hand-made products like lip-balm and healing salve. Visiting their hive is an excellent and educational activity to try out before summer ends! Not only do you get to support Amelia and Natasha’s dream, you also strengthen the bee population.
Learn More
Environmental protection, bee population sustainability, and mental health are all very importance issues in need of continued advocation. Half Mad Honey tackles them all in a calming way. Now that’s buzzworthy!
Visit their website and support their wholesome small business.