Honeybee Sage expands to a second location, sets sights on B2B work
Angela Mallett, opened the apothecary Honeybee Sage on King Drive in 2022. She recently opened a second shop in Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward and has her sights set on more business-to-business work this year.
It’s 9 a.m. midweek and the front door at Honeybee Sage, an apothecary just north of downtown, opens its doors for the day.
Within minutes, two young professionals take a seat to meet over tea. In another corner, a young mother, her child and a friend discuss the news of the day. Soon, the quaint, cozy shop on King Drive is bustling with activity.
“People come in here, sit next to strangers, ask what they’re drinking and conversations just happen – that’s the community we’ve built,” said Angela Mallett, who opened in this location in 2022 after starting the business at the Sherman Phoenix in 2018.
Mallett’s passion has always been wellness. Her motivation for opening the apothecary – specializing in plant-based wellness experiences, blending medicinal herbal teas, custom remedies and alcohol-free beverages with education and community-building – was both personal and something she saw as sorely missing in the community.
“I didn’t always have great experiences with conventional medicine, so I started asking, ‘There has to be something else.’ That curiosity led me to herbs, and eventually to creating a space where wellness feels accessible and human,” she said.
Mallett recently expanded her wellness footprint in Milwaukee after winning funding on Project Pitch It – a state-based entrepreneurship television show and pitch competition. In October, she leveraged that win by opening a second Honeybee Sage location – this time in Milwaukee’s Third Ward.
“What we realized is that people don’t just come to us for a drink – they come for the experience,” said Mallett. “So in the Third Ward, we’re shifting the space to be more interactive and community focused, where people can sit together, build their own teas and connect.”
In addition to expanding physically, Mallett said she is looking to expand her customer base through business-to-business outreach, aiming at making her shop’s services mobile.
“Our next phase is about bringing wellness into the workplace in a way that feels human, practical and easy to engage with,” she said. “People bring their whole humanity to work – stress, hormonal changes, caregiving, burnout – and businesses are starting to recognize that they need to support the human side of their employees.”
According to a 2021 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 76 percent of U.S. workers reported having at least one symptom of a mental health condition and 81 percent reported they would be looking for workplaces that support mental health conditions.
“This isn’t invasive or extreme – it’s practical. These are things people can integrate into their everyday lives, and employers can support that without overcomplicating it,” she said.
Mallett added that her approach goes beyond mental well-being and impacts the body holistically.
“We create blends for very real, physical things – blood pressure, blood sugar, headaches, menstrual cramps, digestion – things people are dealing with every day,” she said.
While the business has seen immense growth and expansion over the past decade, Mallett says she has her sights set even higher.
“In five years, we want to be in at least five different markets as a franchise, but it has to be done intentionally so we don’t lose what makes this space special,” she said. “…I want to expand and still maintain the integrity of our culture — that’s the only way this works.”
For more information on Honeybee Sage, visit their website.
