The Honey Pot Company’s Racial Divide
By Empress Simone, Journalist, Indie Author
The Honey Pot Company is a feminine hygiene products brand. This brand is a plant-based product that was created by Beatrice Dixon and launched in 2014. The product line consists of feminine wipes, spray, wash, and herbal maxi pads; some with wings. One fun fact about Ms. Dixon is she started her brand in the kitchen of her home. Another is she is one out of only 40 women of color to raise one million dollars in venture capital.
A review of her website shows her company’s mission statement which reads, “If you're here because your honeypot is unhappy, I've been there. The whole reason I started The Honey Pot Company was that I was suffering from bacterial vaginosis for months and couldn't get relief. One night, an ancestor visited me in a dream and gifted me with a vision to heal myself.
With her help, I created the Honey Pot Company to solve for what other brands wouldn't, using the power of herbs.” Dixon’s website can be found by following this link:
The Honey Pot Company.
Throughout the years it has been rough on African-American female budding entrepreneurs. However, “Today, African American women have more occupational opportunities than ever before, and many are moving into the private sector as well as into economically rewarding fields of entrepreneurship that were unavailable in the past," declared Karen Parker, Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Delaware. Again, it wasn’t always like this and there are still improvements in vast areas to be made.
As formerly mentioned, only 40 women of color have been able to successfully raise over a million dollars in venture capital; in the past, even that was hindered. There have been numerous reports of funding gap disparities and discrimination regarding loans and grants amongst the African-American community. “Of the nearly $100 billion in venture funding that goes to entrepreneurs in America, less than 3% goes to female founders and just 0.2% goes to black female founders,” says Maggie McGrath Editor of Forbeswomen. That is why Dixon, a black female entrepreneur, being able to raise a million dollars in venture capital is such an amazing accomplishment.
Notwithstanding the great fete of successfully raising venture capital for her company, Ms. Dixon has faced some challenges. Having her company selected to be featured in an ad spot for black entrepreneurs during Black History Month called ‘Founders We Believe In’ sponsored by Target, Ms. Dixon was beyond excited. She was allowed a thirty-second spot in which she highlighted the barriers she had to overcome to start her business. She was grateful for Target and the resources they provided to help her business grow. In the ad, she stated, “ The reason why it’s so important for The Honey Pot to do well is so the next black girl that comes up with a great idea could have a better opportunity. That means a lot to me."
Her statement infuriated some members of the white community, mostly females. They launched an online assault of Dixon’s company by leaving false-negative one-star reviews on her review page. One negative comment read, “I received a bottle of one of the honey pot cleansers in my BUMP box subscription my husband bought for me during my pregnancy, I thought the products were just alright... then I saw the commercial where the founder of the company stated that it’s to empower black women- not ALL women, only black women... it made me feel that the company is not only racist but small-minded and not worth purchasing, I will tell all my friends and anyone who asks that the products are not worth purchasing...very disappointed in the company and founder.” The Honey Pot’s star status on Target’s review page fell to the one-star rating.
Once noticed, in response, black women and some white women, decided to leave five-star ratings on The Honey Pot’s review page along with words of encouragement and some made purchases. One comment from a black female in support of Dixon and The Honey Pot Company stated, “So white people are upset because Honey Pot, a black-owned company is advertising black products to black people? The only time y’all cry about inclusiveness is when something isn’t meant for you." Also, one comment made in support of The Honey Pot Company that surprised a number of social media users so much that it went viral came from a young white male. Here is a screenshot of his comment.
The young man's frustration was honestly felt. As an African-American female small business owner, I too understand the hardships one may face while seeking resources to help your brand flourish. It’s very hard to obtain funding.
In response to the backlash, Dixon was quoted as saying, “I said nothing about our product being only for black girls."
The young man's frustration was honestly felt. As an African-American female small business owner, I too understand the hardships one may face while seeking resources to help your brand flourish. It’s very hard to obtain funding.
In response to the backlash, Dixon was quoted as saying, “I said nothing about our product being only for black girls."
She then cited the company’s tagline, which says it is “made by humans with vaginas, for humans with vaginas."
In another interview she went further in-depth about her feelings regarding the situation, "It's unfortunate that the facts are the facts, the statistics are the statistics, and until that changes, we need to be having these types of conversations," Dixon said. "And we need to be having businesses that are getting to the metrics that we have to get to so that this isn't even a conversation."
Dixon has also reported that her sales have skyrocketed to 40% - 50% overnight after having her brand be accused of racism. The company’s star rating rose to over four stars again and those who didn’t know about The Honey Pot Company’s Brand now know and support Dixon’s Company.
Regardless, if you are in support of The Honey Pot Company and its founder Beatrice Dixon or not, one can never deny that she has definitely achieved what she set out to do from the start. That is to help heal and create healthy vaginas while empowering little black girls along the way. In fact, I’d say Beatrice Dixon has done more than empower little black girls, she has inspired the majority of black females. “This whole controversy with Honey Pot Company shows me to think outside of the box because I never thought a black girl could corner the female hygiene market. I mean I didn't think we could make our mark while going up against large corporations like Always,” said Urban author and aspiring publisher Shantel Williams.
No matter where you stand on the racial divide, head over to The Honey Pot's website and get a feel for the products to make an informed decision for yourself. It sounds like a win-win for both The Honey Pot Company and consumers.
Copyrighted (2020) by Empress Simone, Journalist, Indie Author, & Genealogist
