Navy veteran Erin Gilbert turned a love of honey into a business that, with the help of Prince’s Trust Australia, sees her handmade products in homes across the country.

Erin and her husband Marty, also a navy veteran, are beekeepers and permaculture farm builders living on the outskirts of Canberra.

They established Honey & Glow in 2014 and began turning wax and honey from their hives into handmade, toxic-free bees wax candles and nourishing body balms and soaps.

Erin said her eldest daughter inspired the idea for Honey & Glow.

“(She) was about 18 months old, and I was using a commercial lip balm on her, and it started giving her a little rash,” the former Maritime Warfare Officer said.

“We were keeping bees at this stage, so I thought that I would try and make a beeswax lip balm. And it was amazing.

“The beeswax candles came about because I was reading, as all new mums do, I’m sure, about how bad fragrances are to have in the house.”

In 2017 Erin took part in a Prince’s Trust business workshop in Melbourne.

“It helped me become more efficient,” she said.

“It also taught me a lot of things that I didn’t know I didn’t realise about business.

“And because they get industry experts in to talk to you, and people that have done (the course) before you, it allows you to learn from their mistakes.”

Erin said she would “100 per cent” recommend a Prince’s Trust course to other veterans or spouses, who could only benefit from the information and the networking opportunities.

“Even if you think you might have an idea in the back of your head – just do it”, she said.

“This course gives you the underpinning knowledge you need and the confidence to take the leap into your own business.”

To learn more about Honey & Glow, visit@honey.and.glow on Instagram or visit honeyandglow.com.au.

Image: Prince's Trust Australia Chair the Hon. Julie Bishop, with Erin Gilbert at our networking event 'Celebrating Veteran Entrepreneurship', 2021.

Article features in August/September edition of Top Ender Magazine.

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