There’s been a lot of buzz about bees recently. They are responsible for one third of our food supply and have been declining in population due to factors like harmful neonic pesticides. Carly Stein discovered the healing powers of bees while studying abroad in Italy and has joined the fight to save them. 

She fell ill with tonsillitis, and because of her allergy to antibiotics, she was about to have her trip cut short to come home and have surgery. That was until she stumbled across a natural propolis spray in an Italian pharmacy. 

“I was looking for anything that would take my tonsillitis away,” says the School of Liberal Arts grad. “They had this propolis stuff, and it really worked for me.” 

Propolis is the substance that bees make to line their hive and keep it germ-free. It’s often called nature’s antibiotic as it is antiviral, antifungal and an immune booster.

“I noticed that it was a very commonplace remedy in Europe,” says Stein, “but when I got back home, I couldn’t find it anywhere.” 

So Stein contacted the local beekeeping association and met a beekeeper who allowed her to buy the propolis from his hive. 

“Then I basically became an apprentice beekeeper and started making it myself,” says Stein. 

At first she shared the propolis spray with friends and family, and then realized there was a demand. 

“I really believed in this product and wanted to share it with others,” she says and so she decided to start Beekeeper’s Naturals. 

“From day one, we partnered with the Canadian Bee Research Fund,” says Stein. She is dedicated to raising awareness for the bees and donating a portion of her profits to the fund. 

She says bees often overproduce propolis when lining their hives, so she can scrape off the excess. 

“To make sure that we practice a safer method, we work with a network of beekeepers across Canada, so we’re not exhausting any one group’s beehives,” she says.

“We try to work with small-scale producers as well to support beekeepers. We really want to make sure that beekeepers across Canada are able to continue their practices because we need to have beekeepers nurturing and caring for bees.”  

Once the propolis is extracted from the hive, it is distilled in alcohol and then boiled over a very low heat to evaporate the alcohol without compromising the substance. She then adds non-GMO vegetable glycerin and purified water. 

She hints at an upcoming second product in her line that will focus on mental clarity. 

“Our whole mandate is to create all-natural, sustainably sourced, innovative bee products to treat modern-day problems,” she says. 

Stein’s life away from the bees falls more in line with her studious nature from her days at the School of Liberal Arts. She is a full-time trader for Goldman Sachs where she promotes the representation of women in finance. She is also the head of the Leadership Council for the Sohn Capitalize for Kids Conference.