Vanessa Roers is the youngest and only daughter of Mark and Sharilyn. She is our newest member of the Miel Family, learning the production of all our various products. She brings fresh eyes to the business and innovative ideas to make production more efficient. She is our Production Lead.
She was born in Madagascar and has continued to travel the world as the wife of Senior Chief Keith Roers, USN. They have three children, Evelyn, Axel and Odin. Their travels have taken them from Texas to Florida to San Diego, Okinawa and back! With a short time left before retiring, they felt the children had had enough of moving around. Vanessa and the children moved back to their home in Duluth, while Keith continues to serve in San Diego, CA.
Shannon is a proud descendant of Irish heritage and holds duel citizenship in Canada and the US. Shannon is Mark and Sharilyn’s Daughter-in-Law, Zach’s wife, mother to Caden and Lila, and dog-mom to Snuggie! If that wasn’t enough to handle, she is also Miel’s Director of Marketing and Graphic Arts.
Shannon is a talented artist. She designed and developed our entire line of labeling. She puts her many talents to work in developing advertising campaigns for social media and our website. She puts her special touch on all you see come out of Miel!
Like his father, Zach was born in the US, but raised in Madagascar. He returned to the US when he was 12. He is Miel’s CEO. His enthusiasm and endless energy defines his leadership role in our family business!
Many of you may know him better as “Jungle Boy”, locally popular pro boxer, WBC Africa Champion, USA National Champion. Or you may recognize him as your insurance man, your fitness or boxing trainer, or any number of other roles he performs! The idea of forming Miel as a business was his brain-child. Initially, he just wanted enough honey to suppliment his boxing diet. But the honey produced in Duluth is so unique and delicious and abundant, he thought “Why not share it!”
Sharilyn, the Queen Bee, is Mark’s wife of nearly 50 years. She is the CFO of Miel and helps out in whatever other capacity is needed. Sharilyn was a Home Economics major at Concordia College, Moorhead. Little did she know that her education would lead to making non-edibles!
Soon after getting their first hive, Sharilyn discovered she was allergic to bee venom. When Miel began to grow from just selling honey to offering other products, she began researching beeswax products. Sharilyn is the author of the recipes for the lip balm, lotions, soaps and all the other various products.
Mark Walters, aka The Honey Guy, is a third generation beekeeper. He was born in Minneapolis, but raised in Madagascar. When he returned to the US, he attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. There, he majored in French and Biology and met his wife, Sharilyn.
HIs interest in beekeeping began in 1975. His allergies that fall were horrible and a friend stopped by and said “Man, you need some local, raw honey!” That winter, he read all he could find on beekeeping. The summer of 1976, he and Sharilyn got their first hive.
(Oh, a side note: He isn’t troubled with pollen allergies anymore!)