B.C. bee company gets social media shout-out from Prince Harry and Meghan

A small business from Fort St. John is getting a lot of international attention after receiving a shout-out from the Royal Family.

Beescause builds and places hives in urban parks and backyards around the province.

Co-founder Chris Wheeler said he started the project in an effort to help people “get the benefits of what the bees do.”

Earlier this month, Beescause became one of 15 companies across the world to get a “follow” from Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, through their Sussex Royal Instagram account.

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“It was a very exciting moment, for sure,” Beescause co-founder Maurice Allen said.

The endorsement has since provided a huge amount of exposure, given the royal couple’s 9.3 million Instagram followers.

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In a matter of hours, Beescause saw the impact on their own following, which has now surpassed 7,000.

“You have got literally a honey of a golden opportunity here,” SFU Marketing Professor Lindsay Meredith said.

“Get some real help so you can cash in and make some real value of all of that fantastic publicity, because believe me — it doesn’t get any better than this.”

The honour is part of the Duke and Duchess’ involvement in the “15 Forces for Change” campaign, which aims to shine a light on those working to make a difference in the world. Next month, new accounts will be chosen, so the time to capitalize on the attention is now.

“It has definitely worked,” Allen said.

“They have tried to make more people aware of our cause and that has been fantastically successful.”