Today we’d like to introduce you to Alwyn Simeina.
Hi Alwyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Alwyn Simeina everyone knows me as Oxx. Born in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Have always had a love for nature. Moved to Brooklyn NY as a teenager. Always felt like something was missing. Came to visit Orlando in the winter of 2001. 80 degrees in December made me feel reconnected with something that was missing. The green spaces everywhere and was able to have fresh oranges and other citrus. That was the icing on the cake. Became a permanent resident by February 2002. In 2007 had a health scare with an inflamed gallbladder. Instead of surgery, decided to change my diet and incorporate a plant based lifestyle. Fast forward to 2013. I started my journey as a beekeeper and this gave me a deeper understanding and connection to nature. Beekeeping taught me how to slow down and be more in tuned with nature’s rhythms. We created a few natural products using beeswax, honey and other byproducts of the beehive. We have lipbalms, body butters, immune boosting honey with spices from my birth country of St. Lucia. Met my wife in 2015 when o moved back to Orlando. She has been a great support in everything we do and has been a key component to where we are today. We started a Fruitstand july 2020 during the covid 19 pandemic. This was a way of supplying our family and community with fresh fruits by becoming an essential business. We started in pine hills with a tent, a table, a few fruits and my natural products. Today we have a brick and mortar store with over 100 natural products and herbs. My wife and I share a space at her salon on curry Ford rd and bumby. The vitality shop is in the front suite and the salon is in the back. We have grown thanks to community support. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our story. Stay Vital!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
During hurricane Ian was the biggest struggle when the apiary where most of the beehive were got flooded and we had to start over almost from scratch. Wet boxes became moldy so we had to burn everything. Like most we did it all from our personal finances but it’s all worth it seeing the lives we’ve helped over the years. Some days are up some down but we are motivated to keep going.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Im a registered beekeeper and operate a vitality shop. Everyone knows me as Oxx the beekeeper. Most proud of the woman I chose to be my life partner. What sets me apart is i feel I have a deep connection with bees and nature. I also create products without measuring or using any specific recipe. I study products I’d like to create and listen to my intuition to guide me.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
What helped me on my journey was YouTube. Being able to absorb techniques and information from different perspectives helped me develop my own style and tap into my strengths to understand and work on my weaknesses.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hihello.me/p/d40ff916-1fc3-4b61-a0c1-52180d2381b1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italisvital407?igsh=MXM0OW5lNzc0bWp1NQ==
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/oxxbeekeeping?igsh=MXVtcDV0ODg4eG9teg==
