Orchid Bee candy boxis a monthly provision of creatively curated, globally place-based candies, available via purchase online or at Locations in Ithaca NY. The candies are sourced from candy makers in the US and around the world; occasionally a fresh, locally-made candy is included as well.

Each month is curated around a playful theme: the candies are selected for that theme, and the packaging and enclosed text express it as well. Descriptions of previous boxes can be found here.

orchid bees
are solitary bees mostly native to South and Central America, with a few species recently moving into the southern US. Male orchid bees don’t visit orchids for food, but rather to collect their scents. They hold collected flower fragrances on their back legs, and share them with females in courtship.

This candy box is named in admiration of orchid bees’ creative acts of perfumerie. Candies may not be nutritious, or needed for survival. But they are essential in other ways: as cultural expression, as pleasure and delight. This box is an invitation to revel in the unique and wonderful ways that people craft such expressions all around the world.

This box is also named in appreciation of orchid bees’ native-bee, place-based ways of life. Candies have much local and regional variation: they are often crafted in ways that express love of a region’s histories and crops. Trying a candy can be a wonderful taste of that love; a playful glimpse into the culture and place that made it.

creative delight and love of placeare the driving motivations of Orchid Bee Candy Box’s weekly selections. I will bring you a box full of flavors and surprises, selected for interest and care in craft, from places all around the world.

taking care

This candy box’s curation includes some careful choices. I prioritize buying from small and ethical and minority-owned and/or women-owned businesses and nearby distributors. I privilege products with sustainable packaging, and sometimes buy bulk and repackage items to avoid excess use of plastic. I also balance these priorities with other good things, such as heritage, history, global reach, and delight.

photo credits: The front page photograph is a public domain image taken by Alejandro Santillana for the “Insects Unlocked” project, Univresity of Texas at Austin. Accessed via Good Free Photos.

https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2024/06/06/the-secret-lives-of-orchid-bees-uncovered-uf-ifas-study-reveals-unique-social-behaviors-of-these-powerful-pollinators/