Featured AFM Vendor - Beyond Happiness!

Amherst Farmers' Market - ​Beyond Happiness LLC
By Aaron Andrews

Where Did It All Start?
I have personally dealt with depression and anxiety while I was growing up and I wanted to create a space where I can deal with all of the emotions I was feeling. I did not have any friends
to talk to and I did not have anyone who understood what I was going through at the time. I naturally started to take matters into my own hands as I began to focus on taking care of myself
more. Beyond Happiness Is broken into two main avenues of wellness that I have built for myself.

Products:
One of the ways I practiced wellness was through skincare. Unfortunately, I could not find any products on the market that were a good fit for my skin type as a man of color. The market for beauty products for black men was very limited so I did my research and started creating my skincare products that worked for me.

The products became a way for me to check in emotionally with myself through physically being present with what I'm putting on my skin. I developed each product intending to help me with the different emotions I was dealing with at the time. For example, there was a time when I was dealing with a lot of anxiety so I made a cream with lavender to help calm me down.

Events:
Beyond Happiness began as a simple skincare routine but quickly evolved into a holistic wellness journey. My commitment to self-care led me to explore active lifestyles, social connections, and healthy coping mechanisms.

Inspired by my personal growth, I founded Beyond Happiness with the goal of creating a community where people can connect, learn, and grow together. Our farmers market events, such as candle making and soap making workshops, offer immersive experiences that go beyond traditional transactions. We believe in providing products and services that can't be
replicated online and fostering meaningful connections among our community members.

As a result of taking care of my skin, working out, eating healthy, creating new friendships, and learning about wellness I was able to create an environment where I was actively managing my depression and anxiety and completely changed my life. This is something that made my life better in all areas, and I got excited about figuring out how to help other people overcome their wellness struggles.

I am not saying I can cure depression or anxiety. I can share with people the tools that can help them manage it themselves. That is how Beyond Happiness was born. Our mission is to help other people love who they are and provide tools where people can learn more about themselves while engaging with amazing sustainable skincare products grown/made in MA. I
am grateful to be apart of the Amherst Farmers' Market family and share my products and create holistic wellness experiences with you.
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“Happiness is not what you go get, Happiness is what you do every single day”.

-Aaron
CEO/Founder of Beyond Happiness LLC

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