Mark and Sharilyn Walters moved to Duluth, MN in 2007, and moved into the same neighborhood as my husband Zach a year before we were married. They had hives in North Branch prior to moving to Duluth and moved them to Duluth. Zach and his dad thought it would be fun to do beekeeping together since it has a family history in the Walters family dating back many generations, and they lived in the same town now! They thought it would be a fun hobby they could do together and started keeping bees on the back of Zach’s house on a second-floor porch. Then they added hives to their own house down the street in the same neighborhood. There are times Zach’s brother Jake would help them out with beekeeping, so it was a special bond and time that the guys could spend together as a family.
The first year was highly successful and the bees made way more honey than we could use. So, Mark wondered what we could do with it? Zach, being a graduate at UMD, said we could sell it at their Wednesday Farmer’s Market. We ordered some honey bottles to start. Sharilyn and Zach then took one of Mark’s photos of the lift bridge from up at Enger Tower and created our first unique “Miel” label. We called the honey “Miel, A Taste of Duluth.” Miel means honey in French, and with the family being from Madagascar, it felt fitting since they spoke French and Malagasy there. Sounded fun! We had the label printed at Paper Hog where Zach’s boxing posters were printed. In negotiating the job, Mark told Lonnie, Paper Hog owner, that there was a problem. He said, “What kind of a problem?” Mark said, “Lonnie we have honey but no money.” So, Mark asked if he would pay for the labels with honey. He agreed and we took our newly labeled honey to the UMD market. The first year there went well.
They then met Emanuel, formerly from Tanzania which was “close” to where they had lived in Madagascar. They became friends and during the second year at UMD he told us we should be selling at the Duluth Farmers Market on East 3rd Street. We got our foot in the door and have been vendors ever since! We were able to add all Sharilyn’s homemade products soon after. All our hives are currently in Duluth- Chester Bowl, Duluth Heights, just east of Lester Park and on the west side of town.
Meanwhile during the early days of honey making, a close friend of Sharilyn’s, Shirley O’Brien, asked if we do lotions because she needed some thick, effective lotion. Nothing in stores was working. Sharilyn thought, “well I could try to come up with something!” It was such an amazing product that we started making lotions in tubs and selling them at the market. The first scents she experimented with were lavender, vanilla, and fragrance free. These were a HUGE hit with the customers, and we were getting feedback that they were “fixing so many skin problems, thank you! I couldn’t find anything that worked until now!” Her lotion helped soothe baby rashes, sunburns, eczema, allergic reactions, general seasonal dry skin, etc. Her lotions mixture is miracle cream! There is nothing like it out there!
Bookkeeping was Sharilyn’s specialty also, she was incredibly good with numbers. She always kept the receipts and books organized, so that way we all could do our separate parts of the business. She taught Vanessa how to fulfill orders and they partnered up on the production and fulfillment side together. Since Sharilyn has passed, Vanessa has done a wonderful job of running the ins and outs of her mother’s legacy.
Mark is our beekeeper who many call “The Honey Guy”.
We all found a way to work as a family and a team over the years and really had our groove down. Until the devastating untimely event of her death. Vanessa stepped in right away and started taking care of everything and we still have many exciting things in store. It’s bittersweet now because Sharilyn won’t be with us to experience what’s next for our bee biz. We know her spirit will carry us onward. She left an incredible impact on everything we do. I was always inspired by her work ethic and her drive as well as her caring nature. She deeply valued what she did and genuinely cared about all our customers.
She loved her entire family and was a proud and wonderful grandma to thirteen grandchildren. She always showered them with love and time, even though she was a busy lady. She always made time for them and taught them some of the beekeeping processes along with Mark, had them help in her beautiful gardens, and taught baking and knitting/sewing to them as well, among many of her hobbies. With her sewing hobby, she learned how to make those awesome lip balm hanging pockets that you can only buy at the Farmer’s Market and area festivals. They were all handmade by Sharilyn and now done by Vanessa! Sharilyn will be missed in so many ways. As someone to come to for advice and help on an issue, for her great opinions and eye for detail, her work ethic, everything that made her special.
Sharilyn, we will try to honor your legacy and all the work you put into this business and carry it forward to the best of our ability.
We are forever grateful for you and love you!
