About the Producer
Prior to the discovery of the method for making the Honeypot® luminaries (1993), Creighton Cutts worked on Cumberland Island and in the Marine Mammals Department at the Smithsonian Institution www.nmnh.si.edu/vert/mammals/mmp.html. He has been involved in several research projects, including lead technician on the Cumberland Island bobcat reintroduction project and training personnel and conducting surveys for The Dolphin Project, a multi-year study endorsed by the Smithsonian to determine if the Bottlenose Dolphin population on the coast of Georgia was recovering from the die-off that occurred during the mid-eighties. Creighton still maintains ties with the Smithsonian, and spends 1-2 months a year on Cumberland Island. He was formally appointed Associate Curator of the private Cumberland Island Museum www.cimuseum.org seven years ago, and was one of the principals involved in the actual construction of the facility some years earlier.

Creighton's major goals in research are to assist graduate students in their efforts to secure scholarships and grants for environmental related studies, to continue with the marine mammal and reptile stranding and reproduction research that he has been involved in for two decades, and formulate the proposal and raise the capital to expand the Smithsonian Institution to a network of museums across the US (an idea proposed by the Secretary of the Smithsonian several years ago but presently not seriously pursued by the government).

His somewhat idyllic island lifestyle changed abruptly with the serendipitous invention of the Honeypot® concept. While working on a piece of sculpture in wax (that was to eventually end up as a bronze finished piece), Creighton came up with a technique of manipulating hot wax that resulted in a uniformed, smooth wax shell with a predictable and controllable thickness. Recognizing the inherent beauty of this new object, he immediately initiated the patent process and began selling Honeypot® Luminaries, initially at the merchandise mart in Atlanta (and eventually several other commercial trade shows across the U.S.) and in Colorado, where a friend had room in the basement for limited production - allowing hand delivery for orders in Aspen, Vail, and other resort destinations.

Thus it began. During the early years of Bee Natural, Creighton also found himself with a wonderful new partner, his son Hunter, who, now thirteen , helps his dad with projects as diverse as breaking up blocks of beeswax to necropsies of stranded sea turtles on the beach, to picking and pressing flowers for the Honeypot® décor (what a contrast!!).

In 1998 Creighton purchased Frontier, in Athens, GA, the first gift shop ever to sell Bee Natural products (and the top Honeypot® selling shop in the country!). He decided to return full business focus onto the Honeypots® after the economic slump slowed the historically seemingly effortless growth Bee Natural had enjoyed. Creighton sold Frontier in the fall of 2003 and it remains one of the top sellers of Honeypots®.

Since then there has been a rejuvenating reversal in the economy (at least in Honeypot® interest!) and the Bee Natural crew was excited to receive numerous articles in several major periodicals in 2004 and a feature on Turner South. We were also honored to decorate the stage at the premier of the play "The Secret Life of Bees" in New York City.

Creighton's plan from the beginning has been to use the profits from this unique idea to finance needed environmental research for the greater good. Portions of the profits from Honeypot® sales help support the research being done on Cumberland Island, as well several other non-profit organizations. In the next couple of years Creighton plans to move slowly back to full time research project development and let the Bee Natural Crew run the candle making business!

Thank you for taking the time to find out a little about what we are up to at Bee Natural. We look forward to making a fantastic Honeypot® luminary for you in the near future!

Bee Natural, Inc. operates from Athens, Georgia.