Meet Jessica Blakley | Co-Founder of BarBees

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Blakley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
In our first year of best friendship, Willow and I decided to attend bartending school on a total whim. We wanted to learn a new skill and share a fun experience. While there, we recognized the need for reputable and personable mobile bartending in our event-heavy city of Nashville. While coming home from bartending school one evening, we landed on the name “BarBees” together and officially launched in February of 2019. What started as a mobile bartending company, pivoted into offering virtual cocktail classes through the pandemic. Since then, we’ve transitioned into offering in-person cocktail classes and have expanded to cities across the nation. Through the years, BarBees has taken on the heartbeat that we always intended – a space to entertain and to connect through memorable experiences (and delicious cocktails)!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
BarBees teaches mobile cocktail classes in cities nationwide. Our cocktail classes are taught by local instructors across the country. A BarBees class is the ideal way to celebrate a birthday gathering, bachelorette party, or corporate team-building event. You’ll walk away with delicious cocktails, valuable bartending skills, all while connecting with the other participants in a new way.

In a BarBees cocktail class, guests can expect to have a hands-on, memorable experience where they learn something new and are entertained! We recognize the privilege of being invited into your celebrations and each of our class instructors walk into your space with intention (and spirit)! Experiences bring people together, and we know there’s nothing like a good cocktail to spark conversation. When you hire BarBees, you’re working with fun-loving cocktail class instructors who carry those values with them into every class.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

For some retail therapy, we’d check out the 12 South area to explore both local shops and fashion staples. We may stop for breakfast or lunch at my personal local favorite, Frothy Monkey.

In the evening, we’d stop by Urban Cowboy for a fireside cocktail – order the hot toddy, you’ll thank me later! If karaoke is your thing, you can ride on over to Ms. Kelli’s in Printer’s Alley for an entertaining night of singing and people watching!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A special shoutout to our mentor and friend, Dan Hogan, who has encouraged and supported our business from the very start.

Website: www.gobarbees.com

Instagram: @barbees.bartending