Sweet Beginnings

Sweet Beginnings is a social enterprise and transitional job program of the Chicago-based North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN). In 2004, the NLEN began the transitional jobs program for former offenders where employees are trained and coached. Their employment model has an impressive 3% recidivism rate versus the national average rate of 67+% after three years in most rehabilitation and re-integration programs. Sweet Beginnings employees are able to establish a work history, learn productive work habits, and gain marketable skills.

Sweet Beginnings creates spa quality, natural honey-based personal care products and produces premium urban honey. They extract their urban honey from their all natural apiary on Chicago's west side. Beeline urban honey has a light and complex taste, a result of the varied flora of the urban location. Beeline urban honey is filtered and packaged fresh without pasteurization or heating and is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.