Growing Green was born from my combined love of zero waste and beekeeping. My grandfather's friend is a beekeeper and had hives on my grandfather's farm. My mom and I went for a hive tour with him and loved it. He became our mentor and three years later he still helps us out. We started off with two hives and we are now up to six. I love beekeeping. You always learn something new and bees will forever fascinate me.
At the same time we started Shamrock Apiary I started getting into zero waste. The two just fit perfectly together. My first product was lip balms. I started making them because I wanted an all-natural and zero waste alternative to traditional lip balm, and I had beeswax to use. I then made candles for family and friends and moved on to soap making. I wanted to make a shampoo bar because I couldn’t find a store-bought one that didn’t leave my hair a mess. Making soaps is so much fun, even when it goes wrong.
I started off just making things for myself and then as gifts. People liked them so I started selling them. I’ve expanded my line over time and I love experimenting with new recipes.