When we sat down with Alissa Bayer in 2008, she had just begun the expansion of her 2nd Street District location into the Hill Country Galleria. She and her husband, Shon, had attended the Human Rights Campaign Gala Dinner where they met then President Joe Solmonese and chatted importance of workplace equality in their milk + honey family. Business was great, their plates were full and that would typically be enough for a couple and a business…but not for Alissa and Shon! Since then, they have expanded from 70 employees to over 200, one location to three, and introduced milk + honey’s very first organic bath and body product line.
Alisa Weldon with Alissa Bayer at the Lifeworks White Party
Back in 2008, Bayer admitted that a national brand could indeed be far down the line, more than likely a few years off. But with her goal set, her spa and salon gaining notoriety and momentum, and a deep rooted passion for wellness, natural and organic beauty, and simply making people feel and look their best, Bayer was able to take milk + honey to new heights with an organic bath and body product line.
When Bayer couldn’t find products that proved to be effective, and organically developed with clean ingredients, she set out to create one that would be. Milk + honey debuted their newest products in 2013. The line includes creams, washes, bath and body oils and soaks, lip scrubs and a home fragrance– all complete with a fresh, clean, organic and natural touch. Exquisitely packaged in glass amber bottles with a refreshing, engaging design, and handcrafted here in Austin in small batches with high quality ingredients, milk + honey’s products bring health, luxury, and beauty in a bottle with an ongoing commitment to providing invigorating products.
What’s even more fascinating is that founder, Alissa Bayer is hardly finished. In fact, she’s just getting started. While milk + honey’s new product line is available in at all its spas, salons and online, Bayer plans to extend her reach this year through retailers nationwide, growing the spa and salon’s national brand. milk + honey also plans to expand its product line in the near future. With the success of launching their first-ever line of bath and body products and their successful expansions location-wise, growing to over 200 employees, Bayer pushes a bit further, announcing the development of an essential, organic oil-driven skin care product line that will also made with the highest quality, all- natural ingredients, sure to impress all who appreciate both beauty and health.
Moreover, let’s not forget milk + honey has been continuously noted as one of America’s top salons and one of Texas’ top spas. With a plethora of local awards and praise, milk + honey is definitely one of Austin’s treasures. In addition to milk + honey’s contributions, Alissa Bayer often contributes to the community herself, proving to not only be a woman-on-a-mission, but a giver and avid supporter of the community at heart. While actively supporting the Human Rights Campaign, she also continues to push for diversity and less discrimination both in the world and in the workplace. In 2008, she expressed her dedication to using her business as a tool for doing great things. Now, as a parent and still a dedicated advocate for equality, she’s been moved to continue using her business as a way to tackle basic human rights issues. Bayer revealed that the battle of discrimination makes her both sad and angry, particularly because the issue exists in the first place, but unwilling to accept defeat, we see Bayer still true to not only her commitment to do good for the community and the workplace, but also to milk + honey and its growth that ultimately serves her very own community. With a new bath and body product line and a skin care line in the works, an ongoing passion for wellness, and relaxation, a devotion to organic and natural beauty, and her strong ties to the community. Alissa Bayer and milk + honey can do nothing but go up from here.
