Katie Metzger is the founder of Hānai Hives located on the North Shore of Oahu. She got her start with bees 14 years ago at her children’s elementary school garden program in Ojai, Ca. After moving to Hawaii in 2014 Katie became the lead beekeeper at Honey Girl Organics, a skin care company that makes products with honey, beeswax and propolis. While there, she continued her outreach efforts providing pollinator education to schools and community groups. Katie’s passion for bees and her kuleana to educate others about the importance of pollinators inspired her to create the first host-a-hive program on Oahu. Founded in 2020, Hānai Hives’ mission is to raise healthy bees and grow mindful beekeepers.  It supports small-scale apiculture in a collaborative model by providing community members beekeeping mentorship through the host-a-hive program. In addition, Hānai Hives offers immersive bee farm tours where participants not only gain a firsthand glimpse into the art of beekeeping, but also deepen their understanding of the vital role these pollinators play in our ecosystem. Katie partners with the Kōkoua Foundation of Hawai’i to provide pollinator education and is the resident beekeeper at the Kōkua Learning Farm. In addition Katie is the resident beekeeper for Kuilima Farms of Turtle Bay Resort and provides honey for their farm-to-table events and farm stands.