The Bee Charmer (Asheville Bee Charmer)

Kim and Jillian met in Chicago, where Jillian traded commodities, and moved to Asheville after several weekend visits. Both had already swapped refined sugar for honey at home, and that domestic habit turned into an interest in bees and pollinators. They opened Asheville Bee Charmer in downtown Asheville in 2014. The name comes from page 87 of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which the owners told the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce is the piece of trivia nobody guesses. The shop sells infused honeys and bee pollen. Honeycomb and artisan teas sit beside soaps made with raw honey. It publishes a sourcing map, a harvest calendar and a crystallisation index. That index argues that crystallised honey is a good sign rather than a fault. The business grew into two downtown shops and an online trade, the first at 38 Battery Park Ave and a second on Broadway. A mead tasting bar was planned and then delayed. The business now trades under the shorter name The Bee Charmer.