Apiculture is the science and art of prolonging, sustaining, and retaining health by using products obtained from honeybee hives, such as honey, bee bread, bee venom, bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly. For millennia, these various hive elements have been foundational remedies across ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations.

Today, their historical reputation for antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant healing is backed by modern science, which champions medical-grade hive-based products for wound care, sore throats, and digestive issues. On top of this, consumers’ increased demand for clean and natural ingredients have driven the popularity of these products. 

At ECRM’s Health Care Session in Florida, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Asli Elif, Co-Founder of Bee & You, a brand that has been a regular on the RangeMe Top Brands in Health & Beauty Care charts and has landed deals with Sprouts Farmers Markets and Trader Joe’s from previous ECRM Health & Beauty Care Sessions for its products that tap into the potent biological benefits of bee products – specifically propolis, royal jelly, and raw honey.

Bridging the gap between ancient biological protectors and modern retail shelves requires a rare blend of scientific rigor and strict quality control, both of which Elif has in spades as both a food scientist and a biology PhD. Her unique expertise has transformed a specialized family solution into a patented, globally recognized brand that is reshaping expectations across the health care, skin care, and personal care sectors.

From Worried Mom to Entrepreneur

Before launching Bee & You, Elif was working strictly within the academic and quality-assurance sides of the honey sector. "I'm a food scientist, and my profession was specifically on bee products," she says. "I'm an expert about determining the authenticity of bee products. I was a quality expert setting up the analysis methods and quality control systems.”

Her specialized knowledge became a lifeline when her eldest son fell chronically ill. From the age of 10 months until he was 5 years old, he suffered from severe, recurring fevers. Despite having pediatricians and doctors in the family, conventional medicine offered no lasting solutions, resorting instead to continuous rounds of antibiotics.

The turning point came when her son was 5 years old. "His body started bleeding on itself," says Elif. "It turned out to be an autoimmune disorder.”

The diagnosing physician, aware of Elif’s background and her husband’s expertise as an agricultural engineer and beekeeper, suggested trying propolis and royal jelly to naturally balance his overworked immune system. However, finding pristine bee products on the open market proved nearly impossible. 

"There was no really good quality product on the market,” says Elif. “I was already an expert in the sector and unfortunately the value added bee products are not produced everywhere in the world. What often enters into the international trade is either not real and authentic or else it’s contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals.”

At the doctor’s suggestion, Elif began making her own, extracting the propolis herself and creating a 30% strong liquid extract drop format. She administered 40 drops daily mixed with yogurt, raw honey, and royal jelly.

The results were life-changing. "In six months, the number of his immunoglobulins (immune cells) went from 400 and went over 800 and he was totally healed," says Elif. "It was like a miracle. After that I sought to bring all the goodness from the hive available in the right format, pure, authentic, real, high quality for everyone.”

Decoding Hive Science: Propolis, Royal Jelly, and Raw Honey

To understand why Bee & You’s products are so effective, it helps to look at the unique science behind each hive component as explained by Elif during our interview.

Propolis: Nature's Ultimate Shield

Propolis is a sticky resin that bees harvest from trees to maintain the structural integrity and sterility of their hives. It serves a couple of purposes:

• The Ultimate Antioxidant: "It's one of the most strongest natural antioxidants in the world,” says Elif. "It's 80 times stronger than a pomegranate. It's 100 times stronger than onions.”

• The Hive's Disinfectant: Bees use propolis to seal every cell before laying eggs or storing food. It keeps the high-moisture, high-temperature environment of the hive safe from harmful pathogens. "I call it a natural antibiotic of nature and antiviral antifungal and anti-parasitic at the same time," she says.

While human bodies cannot digest propolis in its raw form because it is bound to beeswax. Bee & You utilizes a patented extraction process that removes the wax while preserving the high concentration of phenolics and flavonoids, maximizing bioavailability.

Royal Jelly: The Longevity Superfood

Often confused with honey, royal jelly is completely distinct. It contains royalactins, unique organic acids, and specialized proteins absent from honey and propolis. It promotes collagen production, vitality, performance, and fertility. “Royal jelly is like bee milk,” says Elif. "I call it a natural longevity food.”

Raw Honey
Unlike commercial honey, which is frequently overheated and filtered, Bee & You uses entirely raw honey. This ensures that all active fresh compounds and nutritional health benefits are kept exactly as they exist in the hive.

A Business Built on Sustainable, Fair-Trade Beekeeping

Bee & You’s success relies on an ethical, vertically integrated supply chain. They bypass middlemen entirely, contracting directly with beekeepers who manage hives in pristine environments. Following are some of the unique aspects of the brand’s beekeeping.

• Pristine Environments: Hives are intentionally placed far from industrial zones, agricultural areas, and railroads to eliminate contamination from heavy metals or pesticides.

• Rigorous Lab Testing: Raw materials are rigorously screened in Bee & You’s in-house laboratory – one of the top testing facilities for bee product authenticity. Every final batch is tested again before it hits retail shelves.

• The 1% Sustainable Beekeeping Fund: Bee & You reinvests 1% of all sales revenue into a dedicated fund that provides contracted beekeepers with new beehives and extra bonuses. "More bees means more green environments and more food for everyone, more goodness,” says Elif. “They keep the sustainability of the earth as well.”

From Advanced Immunity to Clean Skincare: The Product Lineup

What began as a single patented propolis extract has since grown into hundreds of diverse products Bee & You offers spanning multiple health and personal care categories. Some include:

• Fast-Acting Throat Spray: A drug-free formulation combining raw honey and a high concentration of patented propolis extract to soothe dryness and irritation.

• Immune & Gut Health Shots: Features 10 billion encapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotics stable in a liquid base of honey, orange juice, and propolis, fortified with Vitamins C, D3, and Zinc. "If you have any gut problems, IBS, any leaky gut problems, put this into your daily routine," says Elif.

• Clean Skincare Line: Capitalizing on the natural scar-healing, anti-aging, and UV-protective properties of bee products, Bee & You features an anti-aging set containing bee venom, royal jelly, propolis, and honey.

• Organic Sunscreen: Formulated with patented non-nano mineral zinc and propolis. It provides 50 SPF PA4+ protection and 80-minute water resistance without absorbing into the skin.

• Aluminum-Free Deodorants: Completely free of alcohol, parabens, and aluminum to avoid clogging pores near sensitive vein and breast tissue.

Scaling Globally via ECRM and RangeMe

Elif credits much of Bee & You’s commercial expansion to their long-term partnership with RangeMe and ECRM. Rather than navigating exhausting, crowded trade expo floors, Bee & You leverages ECRM's curated, intimate 20-minute buyer meeting model. Through these structured interactions, the brand successfully landed retail partnerships with major chains like Sprouts Farmers Markets and Trader Joe's, alongside robust digital operations on Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart.com.

Elif was also one of the earliest brands on RangeMe, back when it launched approximately a dozen years ago, and Bee & You has made the RangeMe Top Brands lists regularly over the past two years from its regular participation in RangeMe's Immediate Opportunities, a robust profile and RangeMe Verified status.

"RangeMe provides a perfect platform so you can follow all the reviews and opportunities,” says Elif. “Believe me, as an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in the field of consumer goods, this is the best platform.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of Bee & You

Innovation at Bee & You shows no signs of slowing down. Elif revealed several upcoming releases designed for consumers seeking clean, food-grade ingredients for their daily routines:

• An organic-certified cream infused with honey and propolis.

• Expanded daily skincare essentials, including face washes, refreshing mists, and toners.

• A push into natural organic makeup, operating under Elif's core philosophy: "If you can't eat something, don't put it on your skin.”

• A newly launched dietary supplement mixture containing prebiotic fiber, bromelain, honey, and propolis aimed at supporting gut health and reducing excess water retention.

By merging rigorous scientific analysis with a profound respect for nature, Bee & You continues to prove that the humble honeybee holds the keys to long-term human health and vitality.

Watch my full video interview with Elif below!

Key Takeaways

• The Founder: Dr. Asli Elif is a food scientist and bee product authenticity expert who launched Bee & You after using self-extracted propolis, raw honey, and royal jelly to successfully treat her son’s severe autoimmune bleeding disorder.

• Propolis Benefits: A powerful tree resin gathered by bees boasting antioxidant properties 80x stronger than pomegranate. It serves as an antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal shield. Bee & You uses a patented extraction process to make it fully bioavailable to humans.

• Royal Jelly vs. Honey: Royal jelly acts as "bee milk," rich in unique royalactins and proteins that trigger collagen production and boost vitality, whereas raw honey retains its active enzymes by remaining completely unheated and unfiltered.

• Sustainability Commitment: Bee & You utilizes a direct-to-beekeeper fair-trade model, running strict in-house contamination checks and funneling 1% of all revenue back into a sustainable fund to supply beekeepers with fresh hives.

• Market Presence: Backed by 45 published clinical studies, Bee & You's retail lineup spans immunity shots, clean cosmetics, sunscreens, and aluminum-free deodorants found at retailers like Sprouts, Trader Joe's, and Amazon