The BE Hive Origin Story
(aka How a Band, Some Seitan, and a Whole Lotta Hustle Built a Plant-Based Movement)
It all started in 2008, when vegan food was still flying way under the radar—and Nashville had maybe one or two plant-based spots, tops. We turned our house, The BE Hive, into the place to be. Our band, Born Empty, was playing shows and recording music, but in between gigs we were throwing massive vegan potlucks. Sometimes 80 people deep, everyone rolled up with a homemade dish. It was wild, it was communal, and somewhere in the mix, we even dropped a Christmas caroling album. Because why not?
When our favorite vegan restaurant, The Wild Cow, started closing on Tuesdays, we didn’t complain—we cooked. We launched a $10 all-you-can-eat buffet with proceeds split between local nonprofits, our favorite spot, and whatever was left to fund the dream. Turns out, people weren’t just into seitan—they were obsessed. Like “please take my money” obsessed. That weekly buffet turned into something bigger, and The BE Hive officially became an LLC in 2011.
Of course, not everything went according to plan along the way. A kitchen deal fell through, and the original crew went separate ways. But Ben Stix wasn’t ready to give it up. He leaned in—hard—testing and tweaking a killer lineup of plant-based proteins, starting with chorizo, filets, and bulk blocks of wheat-packed goodness.
He pitched restaurants one by one. Baja Burrito was the first big win: 60 pounds sold on the spot. From there, the momentum grew. No shortcuts, no fluff—just a whole lotta hustle, one cold call and kitchen shift at a time.
Eventually, we landed our first real home base in East Nashville. No more borrowed spaces or bouncing between kitchens. Even better? It was connected to The East Room, a DIY venue where we could start throwing events again. The energy was electric—community, creativity, and seitan all under one roof.
Our pop-ups became a full-blown weekend deli. Then, in true BE Hive fashion, life threw a few curveballs: a tornado, a pandemic, and a brand-new lease on a 7,500 sq. ft. production space in 2020. We pivoted fast, launched a to-go window, and suddenly had lines down the block. What started as a weekend thing quickly became seven days a week.
By 2021, we thought 7,500 sq. ft. would be plenty. It wasn’t. Within six months we were buried in pallets and 53-ft trucks. So we bought the building, built a loading dock, installed an elevator, expanded the freezer space to 2,000 sq. ft., and took over the entire basement. Today, we’re rolling deep with 15,000 sq. ft. of space and zero plans to slow down.
Now? We’re slinging Dope Plant Food nationwide, showing up on restaurant menus across the country, and smashing the “vegan food is boring” stereotype one bite at a time. It all started with a potluck. Now it’s a movement. And we’re just getting warmed up.