Living the Dream

Have you ever dreamed of quitting your day job, launching a business in the Catskills, and splitting your time between the Catskills and the city?  Claire Marin did when she launched her growing honey (and whiskey!) powered business – Catskills Provisions.  8 years ago an idea planted into Claire Marin’s brain that grew into an idea and now she is living the dream with Catskill Provisions.

Catskills bees and their sweet, sweet honey are powering multiple business ventures for Claire and the community!

For the Love of Honey

Claire was originally introduced to beekeeping by a friend who had a couple of hives and invited Claire to put on a suit and explore.  It was a love affair at first site!  Claire felt like she was visiting another world within our planet, and was mesmerized by the bees and their beautiful, democratic, and laborious community.  She was so smitten she started reading more and more about bees and started building out her own beekeeping practice.  Little did she know that what started out as a pretty serious hobby would turn into an opportunity to change her life!

From seasonal honey to infused chocolates, maple syrup and whiskey, Catskill Provisions has got you covered!

Publisher, Bee Keeper, Founder

The transition from Publisher to entrepreneur started in 2010.  The market was barely starting to recover from the crash of 2008 and social media was just starting to explode.  Claire was running Woman’s Day Brand Group for Hachette Filipacchi Media where she was their VP, Publisher.  Publishing and the media industry in general was in the middle of painful transition, shifting from print to digital to social.  Everyone was under a lot of pressure and the industry in general was just not a great place to be.  With the support of her partner, Claire quit her job (which she says felt good!) and started the long process of making her fantasy a reality.

Honey Rye Whiskey for your drinking pleasure

The Reality of Starting Your Own Business

Claire launched Catskill Provisions with honey and quickly expanded to honey-infused items including chocolates, maple syrup, ketchup, vinegar, and everyone’s favorite: whiskey.  When first getting her business off the ground she overcame a number of hurdles, including a very unexpected one, which was finding people willing to package her honey.  She quickly found herself doing 100% of the work when the people she hired fell through and had to shift operations to have the packaging and labeling happen in NYC.  She eventually found a co-packer located in the Finger Lakes that is affordable and that she loves and, best of all, employs people with disabilities so it’s a great resource for both businesses and the community.  So now she does the honey in Delaware and Madison Counties and then in bulk takes it to Watkins Glenn where it gets packed and shipped to its final destination.

Claire’s advice to anyone else thinking about starting a business in the Catskills?  Start interviewing and line up your employees well in advance of when you want to get started.

Catskill Provisions is launching a new Distillery in July!

Even More to Come with the Catskill Provisions Distillery Launch in July

Claire is most excited about the Distillery she will be opening in Callicoon this July.  The Distillery will be run similar to a winery with a tasting room and tours where you can see some of the production happening.  Locally made and sourced products will be served as part of the menu and for purchase along side of the Catskill Provisions products that will be sold.  Claire’s vision for the Distillery is one that grows to be not only a destination but also a guide for the area where you can get advice on where to stay, where to eat, and things to do while you are in town.

In addition to the Distillery coming in July, Claire is planning on introducing a gin and a vodka that will both be local.  She will be growing rye and hopefully wheat as well, so more to come on the product extensions soon!

Please tell us what you think, we really want to know!

Tell us what you think!

Please comment below if you’ve tried Claire’s products or plan on visiting the Distillery and let us know how it goes!  Find all of Brooklyn to the Catskills‘ recommendations in the Life section of our site.  We’d love to hear what you think about our other content too!