Inside Hood Honey: Urban Beekeeping Buzzes in Mount Pleasant

Hood Honey brings urban beekeeping—and community healing—to Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant, offering local honey and ‘bee therapy’ right in the neighborhood.

If you’ve driven through Mount Pleasant lately, you might have spotted something unusual: a gold barn abuzz with life, right in the middle of East 119th. That’s Hood Honey, the city’s homegrown beekeeping venture fusing raw honey production, neighborhood pride, and even mental health therapy—one hive at a time.

The Story Behind Hood Honey

Trey Williams, lifelong Mount Pleasant resident, founded Hood Honey with a purpose: create opportunity and serenity where it’s needed most. He’s not your typical suit-and-tie apiary guy—Williams is all about grassroots change, urban gardening, and using bees as a shortcut to some serious chill. Beyond slinging jars of honey, his biggest goals are:

• Building a hub for community connection
• Giving Cleveland kids an up-close peek at pollinators
• Showcasing urban beekeeping as a therapeutic, healing practice

More Than Just Honey: The Healing Hive

Bee therapy isn’t just a buzzword here. Williams runs sessions letting visitors recline atop “therapy beds” in his barn, surrounded by the sound and scent of thousands of bees. It’s meant to:

• Help melt away anxiety and stress
• Offer comfort to those with depression or PTSD
• Deliver the meditative hum (without the risk of stings)

Clevelanders of all ages are invited—Williams says local elementary schools visit monthly, seeding the next crop of Black beekeepers on the East Side.

Urban Beekeeping vs. The Odds

Running a hive in Cleveland isn’t always sweet. Recent years were rough for bees across the U.S.—thanks to nasty parasites, more than half the country’s colonies were lost last season. Williams’ own hives were wiped out, but he keeps rebuilding, motivated by vision:

• Establishing new hives in three East Side locations
• Relying on nectar-rich urban gardens (and less pesticide risk than farms)
• Skipping big distributors to sell direct at markets and within the neighborhood

Still, costs for equipment can sting. Hive kits and honey extractors run into thousands. For Hood Honey, profit isn’t the main motivator—it's impact.

Hood Honey in the Community

Williams’ bees aren’t the only things bringing new energy to Mount Pleasant. Hood Honey’s real currency is community building:

• Hosting hands-on tours and educational programs
• Supplying raw honey and other hive products to neighbors
• Inspiring other city-dwellers to start their own micro-farms

Several Cleveland schools are now regular visitors, learning everything from hive science to the art of harvesting honey, proving urban ag belongs everywhere.

How to Support or Visit Hood Honey

Urban beekeeping isn’t just for Instagram—a visit to Hood Honey is sweet for your soul, your taste buds, and the city’s future. Here’s how you can get involved:

• Find Hood Honey’s stand at summer farmers' markets
• Look for honey and hive goods sold direct from the Mount Pleasant barn
• Join a therapy session or educational workshop (check their socials for info)

Want a taste of what Cleveland’s buzzing about? Head to East 119th, say hey to Trey, and prepare to see Mount Pleasant from a whole new perspective.

Ready to put Cleveland’s coolest honey on your short list? Grab a jar, book a tour, or just watch the bees—they’re changing lives, one golden drop at a time.