MSJ Honey Product Launch

Mount Saint Joseph is thrilled to officially launch the sale of MSJ Honey, a culmination of two years of hard work by our faculty, staff, students, and, of course, our very busy bees. The story behind MSJ Honey is as sweet as the product itself. What began as a small environmental initiative has blossomed into a full-fledged, student-driven sustainability project that spans science, business, agriculture, ecology, and community engagement.

It all started in May 2024, when MSJ successfully built an on-campus apiary with the help of a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Three honeybee hives were installed, and a dedicated team of faculty, trained by the Howard County Beekeeping Association, spent the year caring for and maintaining the bees.

By spring 2025, the buzz had grown. MSJ launched its Student Beekeepers Club, an extension of our Sustainability Club. Students jumped in with enthusiasm, learning the biology of the honeybee, the responsibilities of beekeeping, and the important role pollinators play in local ecosystems.

As the year went on, we expanded our sustainability footprint by adding new pollinator and native garden spaces around campus. These habitats helped the hives flourish, and the bees produced enough honey, enough to involve even more students in the process.

This fall, students in the Beekeeping and Sustainability Clubs rolled up their sleeves to help extract and bottle MSJ’s first official honey harvest. Honors Biology students joined in too, spending time observing the hives and documenting the growing biodiversity our native plant spaces have attracted.

Then came an exciting interdisciplinary twist. Members of the Business Club stepped in to take the project to the next level—developing brand names, designing logos, analyzing pricing, and calculating fixed versus variable costs. After multiple concepts, they landed on a clean, bold, and memorable brand: MSJ Honey. A pair of students even met with our CFO to present the program’s initial business plan.

Now, after months of hard work and collaboration, MSJ is proud to unveil our first official batch of MSJ Honey, now available for purchase. From hive to bottle, students have been involved at every step of the process.

Every purchase directly supports our beekeeping program and ensures that this unique, interdisciplinary adventure continues to grow. It’s more than honey—it’s the product of community, curiosity, and the Mount Saint Joseph spirit.