What do you do?

Anybody can mix honey and cinnamon. It takes a visionary to create a truly extravagant flavored honey. And it takes somebody like Barbara Rosin to go beyond a special product - to a true celebration of the ecosystem. 

Located on 20 acres on the southern edge of the Kettle Moraine in Southeast Wisconsin, Black Barn Apiary is restoring native prairie land to attract pollinators like honey bees and native species. 

Black Barn Apiary launched in 2018, but much of the business was already well-established. Besides an assortment of high-quality products, Barbara cultivated diverse native trees and plants. By restoring the prairie and supporting pollinators, Rosin contributes to sustainable agriculture and ensures that future generations have plenty of food from thriving crops. Bees are crucial pollinators, and their work makes a real difference.

What is your relationship with SCORE? SCORE client What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

Rosin and Black Barn’s creative director and brand strategist, Lynn Doherty, contacted SCORE and connected with mentor Vilson Simon. Active in social media with a modest marketing budget, Rosin and Doherty wanted to know if they were investing enough and in the right places. 

What's great about my mentor?

“I’m not comfortable talking about myself or my product,” she says. “Vilson helped me ‘get over myself’ and encouraged me to reach out directly to contacts and past customers, and it translated directly to sales."

“He helped us to direct our limited marketing budget in the most influential way. Helping my business to be more successful will help us do more to preserve and protect this important environment.”

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

“Everybody needs help, no matter what kind of business you are in,” Rosin says. “A mentor is always helpful to make a business successful.”