By Stephanie Sharp…
There’s no denying the charm of East Hill Honey. Local, sustainable, healthy and organic raw honey? All the buzzwords are working in the Van Horn family’s favor. The budding company is bustling with business and–in an effort to keep up with growing product demands—they’ve looked to Kickstarter to help them fund an expansion.
Right now, the company farms 20 hives dotted around East Hill and Gulf Breeze, but is looking to expand to 100 hives if their Kickstarter program goes through. They are also looking to build a “honey house†and invest in new equipment, which would help facilitate their large volumes of honey while retaining their natural bee-keeping practices. The cost to set up a single hive is $200.
East Hill Honey has to raise the rest of their $22,500 goal by August 6. $2,630 has already been pledged by backers already, but unless the full goal is reached by the deadline, East Hill Honey will get no funds.
These backers aren’t just philanthropic donors, they are supporting local business and getting great incentives in return. By pledging $10 or more, backers can receive products from the company, including different types of honey, bumper stickers, soap or lip balm. For a $100 pledge, you can get a tutorial on urban beekeeping via Skype.
Pledges over $250 have even bigger incentives. Adopt a hive, become a part of the East Hill Honey co-op, have a home-cooked meal with the Van Horn family, become a honey-wholesaler or even get help starting your very own local honey company with the help of the East Hill Honey Crew. So far, only one backer has give $250 or more and will “Adopt a Hive†if the Kickstarter campaign is successful.
East Hill Honey’s Kickstarter campaign is not just an investment in a local business, it’s an investment in our local community. The Van Horns are providing more than just great honey and honey products to local consumers: they stock shelves of local markets, boost local environments with their healthy bee populations and encourage residents to get involved with sustainable, independent local projects. East Hill Honey especially wants to help teach young adults how to invest in their community and provide for themselves through beekeeping.
The Van Horns have toyed with the idea of moving to the country to further their passion and business, but they recognize the unique business and beekeeping opportunities presented by the greater Pensacola area. By backing East Hill Honey’s Kickstarter campaign, you support healthy bees, great local products, small community-centric business and get some great incentives in the process.
Here is the video posted on their Kickstarter project page:
EAST HILL HONEY
Kickstarter Project Page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1260374549/the-east-hill-honey-project
Website: http://easthillhoney.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eh_honey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Hill-Honey-Co/270454959648805
