She’s the Bee’s Knees: Weston Connecticut’s Marina Marchese
Pulling into Red Bee, a boutique honeybee farm in the historical Bradley Tool section of Weston, Connecticut, I immediately sensed that a special experience awaited. The charming crimson cottages, vintage-style signs (“Honey,” “Fresh Eggs,” “Handmade Soap”), and meandering chickens set the stage. A red bone coonhound aptly named HoneyRed, offered a friendly greeting.
When the “Queen Bee” of the property emerged, there was no doubt that the heart and soul of this back-to-basics operation had appeared. Donning a pretty ruby wrap, red cowboy boots, and a pewter honeybee choker, Marina Marchese embodies her passion for Red Bee not only in her personal style, but also in her many varied, yet interconnected, enterprises. Painter, designer, beekeeper, merchandiser, writer, gardener: Marina wears many hats, but they all fit together in the hive of activity that is Red Bee.
Queen Bee is Born
Originally an artist by trade, Marina has worked in the corporate world as a textile designer, picture book illustrator, graphic designer, and commercial artist. Tired of having her creativity stifled by others, she decided to try her own thing. “What I really wanted was to be 100% independent.” She sought a character that could be used in designing her own stationery line—something charming yet strong and meaningful, an icon that represented the ideals she believed in. Thus her iconic “Rosie Bee” was born. “When you think about it” explains Marina, “the strong and indispensable Queen Bee is kind of the perfect woman.” Success soon followed as Red Bee Studio’s greeting card line took off. Ironically, the bee on Marina’s stationery was born long before she ever considered getting involved with the insects themselves.
Honey of an Idea
At the urging of a beekeeper neighbor, Marina decided to try keeping bees herself. “At first, it was just a hobby,” she remembers, but soon she had more honey than she knew what to do with and her creative wheels began turning.
First came the handmade artisanal honeys. “Our philosophy is that every bottle of honey is a gourmet-worthy food and can be tasted and evaluated like wine is. Each has its unique flavor profile determined by the kind of flowers visited by the bees.” Her philosophy has paid off: Red Bee now employs several extra hands and their honeys, favored by exacting chefs, are popular in gourmet boutiques like Murray’s Cheese shop in NYC. Whether wildflower honey for tea, blueberry honey in desserts, natural honeycomb to spread on toast, or even natural bee pollen to temper allergies, Marina’s bees provide a treat for everyone.
A second distinct, yet related, line of products—Rossape honey-based skin care—is the other arm of Marina’s business. (Rossape is Italian for “red bee.”) Handmade soaps, lip balms, facial scrubs, moisturizing butter balms, and other lovingly-made products are created with great respect for natural ingredients. “You won’t find any fancy words on my ingredient lists. Everything is natural and simple, just like the recipes our ancestors used.”