our story

Bee-utiful Honey & Candles is the product of many years of work by thousands of bees. Oscar Villa started beekeeping as a hobby in 2013 in Chicago, but his interest in farming and agriculture traces back to childhood in Bolivia. Oscar grew up in the city of Sucre, but always took every chance to work with his grandmother gardening and raising chickens.

A decade after arriving in Chicago, Oscar's conversations with beekeepers at the Urban Livestock Expo led to a passion for bees and the craft of honey production. He started with two hives in 2013, and as of 2022, Bee-utiful has about 100 hives.

Beekeeping is a constant learning experience, and there have been some ups and downs along the way, including seriously considering giving up in 2016. But, Oscar continued to learn from beekeepers near and far (shout-out to bee clubs in Chicago and Bob Binnie at Blue Ridge Honey Company in Georgia) and he began producing honey and beeswax candles under the Bee-utiful label in 2019, including his first stand at the West Town Farmers Market in partnership with Farmer Renee from Willow Ridge Organic Farm.

Bee-utiful Honey & Candles is committed to helping support thriving bee populations in our communities and to providing you with the highest quality local bee-made products. Please contact us at oscarvilla.honey@gmail.com