There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding a new downtown Barrie business.
Alison Oakes, owner of Oh Beehive, opened up her new storefront, located at Lakeshore Mews across the street from Heritage Park, in April, but her products are not new to those who are striving to be a bit more environmentally friendly.
The thriving business, which creates nonpolluting alternatives to 'single-use' plastics, was actually started as a hobby. She had been making her beeswax wraps in order to take her lunch to work with her, and it didn’t take long for her co-workers to take note.
“They saw what I was packing my snacks in and they wanted some. I sort of came up with a small structure for my hobby/business and shared it with my coworkers. From there, it just grew so organically that I came up with a business name, I started marketing it towards retail," Oakes explained.
The beeswax wraps, which was the first product Oakes created, was something she had seen elsewhere, and decided to try her hand at making herself.
“It’s not one of those products that just comes to you in a dream. You see it somewhere, somehow and you just now it’s going to be good for the planet,” she said. “When I started making it and using it, I was trying to make a shift within my own life to eliminate single-use plastics. When I saw the product, I realized I could make it for myself and then use it and not feel as guilty.”
Oh Beehive was officially launched in 2017, with Oakes selling her beeswax wraps at various local markets and craft shows.
“It just started growing in such an organic way in a way that I really didn’t expect,” she admitted.
Today, her environmentally-friendly products can be found at close to 30 retail stores across the country — including, most recently, The Hudson Bay Company.
“I am at The Bay in Barrie currently, and I am slowly expanding into more of their stores. This just happened a couple of weeks ago. Now that I am in, I am pretty terrified but pretty excited to expand and get my name out there more," she said.
In addition to the beeswax wraps, Oh Beehive offers a variety of products created by Oakes — from produce and snack bags — as well as products from other Canadian makers.
“I carry as much Canadian-made artisanal products as possible,” she said, pointing out products from local company Riley’s Kitchen as well as a small “refillery” that includes everything from organic toilet bowl cleaner and laundry detergent to lotion and shampoo.
“My business started with the beeswax food wraps, and that is what I am still most passionate about, but as I realized my business was becoming an extension of myself and when I was grocery shopping I saw the need for not using single-use produce bags that were just going to be thrown away,” she said.
“The mesh reusable produce bags were my second product. It’s cool now that Canada is working towards eliminating plastic bags in shops. These are all products that I use at home and that I love, so I just want to share that with customers," Oakes explained.
The response to her products, she noted, has been extremely positive.
‘It’s a lot of education, which is great because I am more than happy to have a conversation with someone about what refillerys are, what beeswax wraps are, or how to live a more eco-friendly … and sustainable life,” she said.
“It makes you feel like you can have an impact on what our world is going to look like. There’s just so much plastic pollution in the world right now and it’s heartbreaking to see, so if I can do my part in educating and helping customers on how to live a happier and better life then that’s great," she said.
