NPEW 2018

NEWS RELEASE

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Media Contact: D’Andra Ulmer/Chief Marketing Bee

512.689.2203/ D@meandthebees.com

When Life Gives You Lemons: 13 YEAR OLD ‘Shark Tank Girl’ Mikaila Ulmer

Talks Personal Challenges, Brand Equity and Storytelling at Expo West

“Kidpreneur” Mikaila Ulmer, CEO and founder of Me & the Bees Lemonade, will share her secrets for building brand equity with over 80,000 attendees at Natural Expo West, including industry pioneers and a new generation of innovators shaping the future of healthy products.

As the youngest expert speaker at the Expo’s Natural Products Business School, Mikaila will share her story of how she launched Me & the Bees and grew her company with highlights and ouches along the way.Winning the hearts of fansthroughoutthe world, while being a socialentrepreneurcommitted to saving the food supply, Mikaila knows the value of a good story.

In an era when marketing is not about the product you sell but the story you tell, Mikaila will share her hard-earned insights into the art of building brand equity. The full day begins with a keynote from Shazi Visram, Founder and CEO of Happy Family Organics and continues with presentations from industry icons and rock star brand storytellers. Introduced by The Butler Bros. Adam Butler, Mikaila takes the stage to share her secrets for standing out and staking your claim in the retail landscape.

“I really see my story and mission as a way to help retailers offer their customers products that make a difference,” Mikaila explains. “Today’s consumers want experiences, not just products. That’s why we’re all about creating something that tastes good and does good!”

After her presentation, Mikaila invites everyone to stop by the booth to continue the conversation and have a taste of honey-sweetened lemonade to see what the buzz is all about. Visitors might even run into a few of her special friends and celebrity investor BEElievers!

ABOUT ME & THE BEES

While preparing for a children’s business competition at the age of 4, Mikaila found her Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed lemonade recipe in a 1940s family cookbook. She also was stung by a bee twice in the same week, which Mikaila admits was a very uncomfortable experience. Encouraged by her parents to overcome her fear of bees, Mikaila began to study bees and their role in the ecosystem. She learned that bees pollinate about a third of the food that humans consume and that the bee population is declining alarmingly.

“I became fascinated with bees,” Mikaila explained. “I realized that I could use local honey from bees to sweeten my Great Granny Helen’s flaxseed lemonade recipe, and that is how Me & the Bees was born. Now, I want to see Me & the Bees distributed worldwide. My goal is to offer a wide range of lemonade products and to one day expand beyond lemonade. With a larger audience and the launch of a non-profit organization, my team and I can make a greater impact on saving the bees.” Besides being an accomplished entrepreneur, Mikaila is a full-time, straight A student and resides with her family in Austin, Texas.

Landing a deal with Daymond John on the show Shark Tank was just the beginning of Me & the Bees’ many business successes. Mikaila’s story has caught the attention of Good Morning America, NBC News, The Real, Forbes and TIME among others, along with theNational Retail Federation Foundation (NRF) who namedMikaila one of theTop 25 People Shaping Retail's Future last year. Mikaila’s movement has also inspired10 NFL players including Arian Foster (Former Running Back for the Houston Texans) and Glover Quin (Safety for the Detroit Lions), to sign up as investors, increasing production capacity, which has enabled the company to have a greater impact on saving the bees.

NATURAL PRODUCTS BUSINESS SCHOOL PRESENTATION DETAILS:

Mikaila Ulmer, CEO & Founder Me & the Bees

“When Life Gives You Lemons: Brand Equity and Storytelling”

Wednesday, March 7 11:10- 11:50am

Location: Marriott, Marquis Ballroom NE/NW

BOOTH DETAILS:

NATIONAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST - ANAHEIM, CA

ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER

MARCH 8-10, 2018

Hot Products Pavilion Booth #N2331

FOR MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/VisitmeExpoWest

ABOUT EXPO WEST 2018

In its 37^th year, Natural Products Expo West is the world's largest natural, organic and healthy products event. With over 80,000 exhibitors, speakers, retailers, and buyers in attendance, 2018 is shaping up to be the expo’s biggest year yet. The expo will be help March 7-11, 2018 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The Natural Products Business Schoolis a full day of learning and networking purpose-built for emerging brands. TheBusiness School provides an opportunity to connect with an ecosystem of service providers and potential investors, as well as gain impactful insights from a fantastic line-up of industry experts on scaling your brand and managing the changes ahead for afast-growing industry.