Check Out Alexandra Wallace’s Story

I became a Beekeeper in 2015 by a dare. A friend had a 5 ingredient granola she wanted to make and sell at our local farmers market which happened to be a ‘green’ market focusing on local ingredients, sustainability and being environmentally sensitive. The farmers market coordinator said ‘at least one ingredient must be local’ which turned out to be honey. My girlfriend was deathly allergic, so the Beekeeping was up to Me!

I brought my experience of community outreach to the company and started teaching inner-city youth through the Discovery Museum’s Magnet School in Bridgeport, CT. I started harvesting and selling honey at local Farmer’s Markets and would sell out quickly. This prompted me to start playing with honey as a main sweetening ingredient to recipes I found through my collection of cookbooks. My first recipe was Almond Honey Crunch, a delicious honey based toffee covered in chocolate and filled with almonds. Apart from just a drizzling companion to toast, honey proved to be a fresh new face on the ‘sweets’ scene and I sold out of ‘Crunch’ the very next market!

I started to develop a whole collection of spreads and mixers that became very popular and started stocking local stores and selling at retail. As momentum was gaining thoughout Fairfield County, unfortunately, family tragedy hit and I had to move back to Texas in 2020. As Covid progressed across the nation, I worked on my recipes and focused on rebranding concepts to reopen under The Pretty Farmer: Urban Homesteading At Its Finest. After becoming a Beekeeper, the health of my bees’ environment became a priority. I became more sensitive to their water sources, the flowers they were foraging and pollinating, etc. I researched natural ways to keep my residential landscaping green, as chemical free as possible. I achieved it through hiring other green companies, a growing trend at the time. I planted a full edible garden and learned all about ‘companion gardening’, a concept of pairing plants to offset produce theft and annihilation and using herbs as natural insect and rodent deterrents. Did you know mint and rosemary literally keep the bugs away?

The Pretty Farmer officially launched in May of 2020 at the Episcopal Church of The Good Shepherd’s Farmers Market. Our top-selling spreads are the TX Bourbon Honey Butter, the Gingered Honey, the Rose Petal Honey, and Lavender Hops Honey. Our top honey-based syrups are Lemon & Ginger Honey Syrup, Lima La Vida Loca Lime Honey Syrup, and Devil’s Backbone Hot Honey Syrup. They mix beautifully in all alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, salad dressings, marinades, and even as an extra flavoring ingredient for baked goods! I use as many all-natural and local ingredients as possible. Most of my products are 5 ingredients or less!

The Pretty Farmer will be showing at the Mother Nature News Fair on February 18th and 19th in Belton, TX. It’s a national and annual exposition focusing on a life of sustainability and self-reliance with many local farmers, food producers, manufacturers, national brands and more.

I’m currently stocked at the following stores:

• The Cookie Dough Cowgirl – 1310 RR620, Austin 78734
• Old School – 1901 W. William Cannon Drive, Austin 78745
• Proof – 3420 B FM 967 Suite B-107, Buda, TX 78610

Local Farmers Markets I currently show at:

• The Episcopal Church of The Good Shepherd (Austin / Tarrytown)
• Pedernales Farmers Market (Spicewood)
• Barton Creek Mall Farmers Market (Austin)