Founder, Sharon Schmidt is fond of saying that "Honey was my Gateway Drug into Beekeeping".  It triggered all the memories of her childhood fascination with bees.  She came by that fascination honestly as she is the granddaughter of midwestern farmer/ dairy producers who were also beekeepers.  She earned her Masters Degree in Nursing at the University of Illinois Medical Center.  Her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology was earned at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and she taught in University settings.  She served on the Headstart Board in Eastern Oregon, served as the President of the Eastern Illinois National Nurses' Society on Addictions and worked with patients suffering addictions and emotional illness for decades.  She taught and published various journal articles on addictions, recovery and mental health, worked with hundreds of students and later, thousands of Veterans.  Her Beekeeping practice and research interests lie in the areas of soil health, ethical beekeeping, honey sensory analysis, mindfulness, education of underserved populations, honeybee nutrition, recognizing and minimizing the effects of pesticides, regenerative agriculture, regenerative beekeeping and opportunities for women in beekeeping.  She is certified at the Master Beekeeper level through the University of Montana.