Beekeeping is not a common job for most, but for entrepreneur Keith Griffith III, a senior at Trinity, it is more than just a job. When he is not in school, Griffith III is hard at work with his company, Beeing2gether.
His uncle introduced him to beekeeping when Griffith III was in 5th grade. His uncle had been beekeeping for about a year before Griffith III became interested in the idea. Because of this, Griffith III began researching and watching videos to learn more. Eventually, he asked if he could help feed his uncle’s bees. From watching videos to feeding the bees, Griffith III wanted to do even more, so he bought his own suit.
While Griffith III’s uncle sells a variety of honey, he still helps Griffith III out whenever he asks. Griffith III explained that his uncle is a paraplegic and that helping him with the bees greatly inspired him to start his own business. When it was time to create a name for his company, he wanted something meaningful. He sought a name that “merges honeybee preservation and mental health awareness together.” After all his hard work, Griffith III came up with Beeing2gether, which, as he puts it, shows “that we’re just being together with the bees.”
In 2019, Griffith III was in 6th grade and officially started his company selling honey. Initially, his uncle helped him sell honey, as he was already in the business. They would post on Facebook and eventually Instagram, where people would contact them for honey. Griffith III would sell for hours at a time in places like the Jefferson Mall parking lot and other farmers’ markets, which eventually led him to start his own website.
Griffith III has made deals with some big-name stores like Meijer and Publix, and he also supplies honey to local stores around Louisville, such as Rimmel Blossoms, Value Market, and Blue Dog Bakery. As Beeing2gether continues to grow, Griffith III has sold honey across the country and even reached customers in the UK. Looking toward the future, he wants the company to “grow bigger than it is now.” He envisions a business that runs independently, although he still plans to stay involved as he does now.
Griffith III has an upcoming field trip for a local elementary school class to visit his bee yard and learn about his work. He is also scheduled to speak with other schools and is “very excited” about these opportunities. One of Griffith III’s dreams is to open a local storefront where he can sell his honey, which he hopes to use as both a store and a museum. He shared, “I want to have a museum where you walk in, and it shows how the honey’s made, where it’s processed from, and then it leads to a backyard where all the bees are.”
Balancing school and running a company isn’t always easy. Griffith III admits, “I can most definitely do better balancing it,” explaining that his parents have helped him a lot. During COVID, he recalls towers of boxes of orders filling their home after an interview he did sparked a flood of new orders. Despite the challenges, through hard work and determination, Griffith III continues to develop Beeing2gether, strengthening both his company and his community.
