About four years ago a co-worker of mine asked if he could put a beehive at my family farm. I said yes, thinking I would bear no responsibility, but (here it comes) after two weeks his wife became pregnant and he told me he couldn't tend to them. I was a beekeeper by default. At first I couldn't believe I would be taking care of bees, but I soon became fascinated with bee culture and science. I started to learn about bees and attended workshops at The Ohio State University agricultural campus. Beyond enjoying the science of bees, just the act of tending to bees gave me time to reflect. It became a very cathartic activity. And I started to realize that the world of bees imitated our life on earth. The tiniest changes in the environment are reflected in the bees' environment, which led me to think about the foods we eat and the chemicals we use and the impact these outside factors have on bees and on us. These small revelations made me want to make products from bees that are better for us than what our mothers and fathers have been using. Products as natural as I can make them without sacrificing quality and the safety of our customers. From that came the idea of "Beecology" and its charitable arm,  SweetYear.org.