Meet the Makers

Honey Belinda is a Queens-based brand bringing the magic of bees to life through artisanal skincare, beekeeping services, and honey education. Founded in 2024, the company connects urban communities to nature while inspiring a deeper appreciation for pollinators.

Founder Belinda Hester discovered her path during an apprenticeship at Astor Apiaries, where she was captivated by the complexity of bees and honey. What began as DIY skincare experiments soon grew into classes and products that her community loved, motivating her to launch Honey Belinda.

As a certified honey sommelier and beekeeper, Belinda offers a full hive-to-table perspective. Her small-batch products use sustainably sourced honey and beeswax, from lip balms and honey scrubs to body oils. She also provides professional beekeeping services throughout NYC and surrounding areas and hosts guided honey tastings. Her mission is to inform as much as it is to make quality goods. “I want to change how people think about bees and honey—moving beyond seeing them as just sweet treats to understanding their critical environmental role and incredible complexity,” she says.

As a woman of color in both beekeeping and skincare, Belinda takes pride in representing an underrepresented voice. Being woman-owned means building a business around her values—handcraft, sustainability, and authentic community connection.

With growth in mind, Honey Belinda plans to expand workshops, launch curated gift sets, and establish more urban hives across NYC, always keeping its core mission at heart: celebrating bees, protecting biodiversity, and empowering communities.