Growing up, it seemed like every kid wanted to start a lemonade stand.  Maybe this was your idea to raise a little money in your neighborhood or your family’s idea to get you out of the house.  For Mikaila Ulmer, it was so much more than a neighborhood lemonade stand.  She started a lemonade company, Me & the Bees Lemonade, with her grandmother’s secret recipe that used flaxseed, and other ingredients not normally found in lemonade.  Ulmer uses honey from local bees in her products.  However, the relationship between Ulmer and these bees were not always a loving one.  Ulmer disliked bees, due to be stung multiple times.  She then researched the insects and became fascinated with all the benefits bees have for the ecosystem and ourselves.  She wanted to help out the local population of bees while also creating a product that was beneficial for her clients.

Ulmer took her idea onto Shark Tank and came out with an incredible offer of $60,000 to help spread her business.  From there, it took off.  She now has a contract with 62 Whole Foods stores across the country. Along with the traditional lemonade, Me & the Bees Lemonade now has a variety of flavors including teas.

This past March, Ulmer was able to seal a distribution deal with United Natural Foods for $11 million dollars.  This allows her product to reach a larger audience.  Arian Foster, and a few other NFL players saw the promise of Ulmer’s business, and wanted to be a part of a great cause. They have invested over $800,000 because they felt that Me & the Bees Lemonade had a great product and the people involved were doing it for the right reasons. Just another example of someone turning a simple idea into a multi-million dollar business.