Where Is Bee Free Honee From Shark Tank Today?
In 2016, in season seven, episode 17 of Shark Tank, a company called Bee Free Honee appeared (per MSN). The chef who made the vegan honey alternative was Katie Sanchez (via CBS Minnesota). She wanted to expand her business by providing a unique sweet liquid to vegans around the country.
As you may or may not know, vegans do not eat any products made from or by animals; they consider bees to be animals. That means honey is verboten, as it is produced through the work of bees (per Vegan.com). It takes hundreds of honeybees to produce a pound of honey, and there are concerns about antibiotic use, pesticides, and bee die-off compounding the issue (via MPRNews). According to Vegan, there are very few vegan honey producers on the market, two being Suzanne's Specialties and Blend It Up.
Bee Free Honee was "invented" by accident, according to CBS. Chef Sanchez was making some apple jelly which did not work. The liquid, however, looked like honey so she started producing it.
Perhaps the world wasn't ready for Bee Free Honee
Bee Free Honee was made from cane sugar, apples, and lemon; all products that were produced in the United States. At the time the company's founder appeared on "Shark Tank," it was for sale in stores like Whole Foods and even went on to become an item in the Swag Bag for the 2014 Oscars (via CBS Minnesota). The setup seemed promising, and per Shark Tank Recap, a deal for a $210,000 investment with 30% equity was made.
The Wegmans store chain started stocking the honey substitute, per The Washington Post, and it was being added to the menu of a vegan restaurant or two. But either the world wasn't ready for this innovative product, or the company wasn't. The business ended for unknown reasons in 2019, but Sanchez did share in an interview with Compassionate Action For Animals that, "I'm not going to stop trying to help our pollinators and putting information out there, and hopefully the ripple effect will help our pollinators."
If you are interested in vegan honey, you can try to find some online, or you can use agave nectar, which is thinner in consistency but has a similar flavor profile.