‘Beeline, LLC’ of Henniker is SBA’s 2023 New Hampshire and New England

Home-Based Business of the Year

Honeybees are at the heart of this small buzzing manufacturer as they deliver honey-enriched skin care products while serving as an advocate for the protection of honeybees in NH and beyond. Honeybees are an integral part of the world we live in and pollinate up to 1/3 of the food we eat, playing an intricate role in our country’s food supply. Simply put, we cannot live without bees, and they need protecting. NH alone has seen a 60% reduction in its bee population, which is what inspires owner, Susan Lanphear, to provide education along with her fantastic and effective skin care product line.

 Susan developed sensitivity to commercially available skin care products and decided to experiment on her own.  At the time, she was working as a research and development chemist and began experimenting with natural ingredients to find an alternative. She quickly grew fond of honey and beeswax and began creating her own soaps and creams. Fast forward to 2012 and Susan began her home-based business founding Beeline, Inc., a hypoallergenic skin care product manufacturer.   Beeline manufactures its products in a converted four-car garage with five ‘worker bees’ who collaboratively work as a team like a beehive. Susan creates the formulas and designs most of the packaging, but it’s a team effort to bring a new product to fruition. 

 The ingredients in Beeline products, that are rich in royal jelly and propolis, are sourced from local beekeepers. The line includes natural moisturizing skin creams, stress-relieving skin mists, soaps, facial scrubs, soothing lip balms, and eye serums.

 Since the beginning, Beeline experienced steady growth with sales coming from both their website and many wholesale accounts. They proudly supply small boutiques, mom & pop shops, garden centers, health food stores, and spas throughout the country.  Their products are sold all over the United States and abroad in the Netherlands and France.  Based on this success, Beeline is being recognized this year as both SBA’s New Hampshire and New England Home-Based Business of the Year.

 Beeline has been a SCORE client for over 4 years. Susan receives ongoing support from her mentor, Gene Calvano of SCORE, especially during the pandemic when she shifted her business model from relying on event sales to online sales direct from her website. “I believe Beeline is the best choice for this award, aside from creating all-natural products from bees, Susan is dedicated to educating people on the importance and preservation of the honeybee and her ongoing support of ‘Honeybee Research in NH’,” stated Gene Calvano.  

 During the pandemic, Beeline took advantage of SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help maintain staffing and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) which provided the working capital needed to upgrade and improve packaging and increase automation. 

While Beeline Skin Care’s focus is on skincare, they also have one piece of jewelry- a tribute to the Honeybee. The necklace consists of a tiny jar that contains honey, it is very tiny and contains 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey -- the amount of honey that a single bee produces in her lifetime. For more information  Beeline Skin Care