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New student-run business spotlighted at ‘Shop everything MSU’

December 8, 2016

Just in time for the holiday season, the MSU Surplus Store hosted its first annual Shop Everything MSU sales event on Dec. 6.

The MSU Surplus Store combined with the MSU Recycling Center on campus to think of new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle unused materials among the MSU community. As a store and center they aim to increase the amount of university materials they keep out of landfills to more than 90 percent, according to their website.

Shop Everything is designed to recognize MSU shops on campus and bring them all together for one event in time for consumers to purchase gifts for this holiday season.

More than a dozen MSU shops and vendors across campus participated in this first year event. Such vendors included: MSU Bakers, MSU Forestry Club, MSU Dairy Store, Kellogg Gift Shop, Spartan Pure Maple Syrup, Museum Store and the MSU Bikes Service Center.

However, a business that is not one of the popular shops across campus or the traditional MSU staff led business became the center of attention.

A new vendor that emerged at the event and attracted large crowds was a business out of the Bailey GREENhouse and Urban Farm. This is a new business that is entirely student run and are currently in the progress of launching in January.

Co-CEO’s of the business, elementary education junior Bethany Kogut and environmental studies and sustainability sophomore Alex Marx, said they don’t have a permanent name yet for the business as they are just about to launch, but previously they were known as the Bailey Tea Project. Kogut, Marx and other MSU students currently work out of Bailey Hall selling primarily tea and honey.

“Right now we’re just selling out of Bailey Hall, where the greenhouse is located,” Kogut said. “But starting in January we’ll be launching a new student-run business. It will be the first MSU-affiliated, student-run business and we’ll open up an e-commerce and potentially have things at the Sparty’s convenience stores and the new grocery store at 1855 Place.”

With their main products being tea and honey, they plan on expanding their products when they get the business officially launched and running. Kogut said they plan to sell other similar products from beeswax.

“The business pretty much will be selling value added agriculture products, so the one we have here is two tea blends and the company is the Bailey Tea Project, all of the herbs are organically grown at the Greenhouse and they are grown by students and the entire business is student-run from start to finish,” Kogut said.

Kogut and Marx said they plan to sell other products from beeswax, such as lip balms and salves, and they might start a candy line, honey, pops and mushrooms.

The two different blends of teas they currently have are "Exhale" and "Zingy." "Exhale" tends to be more of a calming tea, while "Zingy" tends to be more uplifting, Kogut said.

“Exhale is a more relaxing and soothing blend, it has lavender, chamomile and peppermint,” Kogut said. “Zingy is more of an uplifting blend and its lemon verbena, lemon grass and spearmint.”

As they are still a work in progress, those interested in their business or products can check out their website or email them at baileyurbanfarm@gmail.com.

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