ME & BEES LEMONADES: Ready To Drink at Downtown Target

me and bees
me and bees

In 2009, at four years old, Mikaila Ulmer found her Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed lemonade recipe in a 1940s family cookbook. She was excited to give it a try. In 12 years later, what started as a lemonade stand in a front yard in Austin, Texas, had grown into a national brand with distribution on more than 2,000 shelves in all 50 states.

Me & the Bees was founded by teen entrepreneur Mikaila Ulmer and her family when she was just four years old in an effort to help save the bees. This distribution deal with Target puts the ready-to-drink premium lemonades in all 50 states and rounds out the company’s omni channel strategy to have a presence in retail, restaurants and cafes, and online commerce.

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“Two of my dreams have come true today; one, offering our lemonades at one of my all-time favorite stores, Target, and two, reaching our goal of having our brand present in all 50 states,” said Mikaila, Me & the Bees founder and CEO. “As we enjoy warmer temperatures and the country continues to safely open, our lemonades are sure to quench the thirst of Target guests wanting a refreshing, all-natural beverage while running errands. Buy a bottle, save a bee!”

The certified minority-owned company offers guests who enjoy sipping and shopping at Target “lemonade that tastes good and does good.” Flavors of the honey-sweetened, lower-in-sugar option now available in Target. Target cafes will include Me & Bee favorites, Classic Lemonade, an updated twist on Mikaila’s great grandmother Helen’s recipe, Prickly Pear Lemonade a cheerful addition of prickly pear cactus fruit, raspberry and watermelon and Ginger Lemonad, a combination of juices with an added zing.

All three flavors will pair nicely with the savory snack options found at Target cafes while providing a healthier beverage alternative.

Me & the Bees’ ready-to-drink lemonade comes in 12-ounce bottles and is made with vitamin C-rich lemon juice and honey and for added health benefits, and a way to tie back to the company’s mission of helping save the bees. The shelf-stable lemonades contain no high-fructose corn syrup, no preservatives or additives, and typically contain less sugar than other grab and go options in the same category.

Me & the Bees seeks to help educate consumers about the bees’ role in the ecosystem and the alarming decline in the bee population. 

The company gives a percentage of its profits to the Healthy Hive Foundation, Mikaila’s non-profit organization dedicated to increasing bee awareness and promoting safe environments where bees can thrive through research, education, and preservation.

Me & the Bees has grown significantly since it was founded 12 years ago, helping contribute to the $12B global lemonade market size that is growing at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period 2020-2025, according to a recent Industry ARC market research report.

Another resource is Mikaila’s book Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid, published by Penguin Random House in 2020.

In addition Target cafes, Me & the Bees can be found nationally at select Whole Foods Market, Fresh Market, Natural Grocers, and World Market stores, as well as all H-E-B stores across Texas, at Kroger in Houston, at various local retailers and restaurants, and online.

“Buy a Bottle. Save a Bee.”

Author: Keri Freeman

Military mom and proud parent, artist, writer, musician and film maker. Cocktail connoisseur. Publisher of DTLA Weekly.