We are One Family International!

One Family International is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization that exist to provide relief to orphans, widows, and destitute folks suffering from the horrors created by war. Bee The Light exists to support the work of One Family International (OFI). When you donate to OFI or purchase products from Bee The Light, you are truly joining us on our mission and helping to make what we do possible. 

THANK YOU.

 

After we got married, we knew we wanted to do something to help support ourselves, our planet, our community and humanitarian work overseas - something that was wholesome for everyone involved, from the raw materials all the way to the folks who end up with the product. When we met, Daniel was living at a wonderful place called "The Downstream Project:" an off-the-grid-in-the-city hospitality house and experiment in ecological living. There was no electrical lighting in the house, so every night they lit up the beeswax candles, not just for fun or ambiance! It was a powerful and inspiring season of our life, and later, when we were thinking of things we could do that met our list of criteria, beeswax candles came to mind. We got on craigslist and found a local beekeeper who was selling it by the block... and the rest is history!

   

In a world where folks with certain privileges often mistreat and take advantage of folks without those privileges, it's incredibly important to understand the supply chains that connect us (whether consciously or not) to each other. The Fair Trade certification process has been an amazing movement that has helped get many farmers, craftsmen, and small business owners in the Global South out from under the foot of multi-national agendas that prioritize profit margins over all else. However, unfortunately (but predictably) even the Fair Trade movement is beginning to be co-opted and "watered down" by such agendas. So what's a body to do? We as consumers would do well to simply take a minute and look into the supply chains for ourselves, even if the label says "Fair Trade," to make sure we are not supporting industries that degrade and hurt our brothers and sisters around the globe.

So let's start right now by looking into how BeeTheLight sources raw materials for soap and candle making!

When we began, one general rule of thumb was to do as much as possible as locally as possible. That's what's so nice about beeswax candles. The only ingredient in the wax is the beeswax, and so the candles you get from BeeTheLight come from beekeepers and honey bottlers right here in the USA who benefit from policies and norms around human rights that some of our non-western friends do not have access to.

But then there's soap!

We had go to the international market for some of our vegan soap ingredients, and that's when we knew we had to be super careful. Our soaps are made from oils that come to us from only two different farms, and both of them are places that are Fair for Life fair trade certified and exist to care for the Earth and the humans that work it. We are honored to support and be connected to them. Please enjoy exploring the Natural Habitats farm website for yourself using the links below: