Fundraiser Started To Rebuild Duluth Bee Business Destroyed By Fire

Miel is a family-owned bee business in Duluth that has been operating since 2010 and over the weekend, a fire destroyed years of inventory. According to FOX 21 News, the fire broke out early Saturday morning in co-owner Mark Walter's basement, where production takes place and inventory is stored.

Co-owner Vanessa Roer, who is Walter's daughter, estimates that $20,000 worth of product was destroyed, in terms of retail value, plus all the raw materials and ingredients to make their beeswax-based products, and all their production equipment.

The family is in shock, but they are doing their best to stay positive and rebuild. Also, a GoFundMe page has been started on behalf of the family with the hope that the Northland community will help with that trying and costly process.

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The page states that Walters suffered minor injuries during the fire and thankfully their business office mascot, Piso the cat, was safe & unharmed. While they are looking for financial donations, other things would also be a great help:

Right now we are hoping our community can come together to help us with items needed for cleanup. This will be a long recovery for the entire Miel family & everyone impacted by this tragedy. We would greatly appreciate things such as:

Dumpsters, trash bags, & plastic storage bins. Protective gear such as respirators or face masks, gloves, & goggles. We will also accept gift cards for food, tools, clothing & personal items, etc. For any item donations, please reach out to Vanessa

I have created this to help offset inevitably hefty funds accrued during this tough time. All monies will be distributed to Mark Walters & Vanessa Roers (Mark's daughter/business owner/finance manager) to place costs where most needed.

Organizers have set an initial fundraising goal of $10,000. They also want to thank Miel supporters for helping them through the loss of Mark's wife, Sharilyn Walters, less than two years ago.