“Have you noticed we don’t have any honey bees?”  That was the simple beginning. 

The “we” referred to our yard and gardens, and within a few weeks of “Internetting”, phone calling, and meeting the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association, we had begun our intriguing relationship with the noble bee.

It is true that none of our sources ever said beekeeping was simple (and it isn’t).  Rather, they emphasized step by step by step by step.  We’re here to tell you those steps add up to miles!  But, like all worthwhile life endeavors (read kids, pets, spouses…), the good outweighs the not so good. 

Professionally, John is a marketing consultant, Jane is an elementary school teacher, and together we’re beekeeping hobbyists who have fallen in love with those noble bees.

Who would have guessed …

Whenever possible, we educate the public about the noble bee – the pleasure and purpose of its existence as we see it.  Occasionally, we also sell honey in public.  And it’s a real pleasure to watch surprised faces as they accept our challenge to compare a taste of over- processed supermarket honey to a taste of  pure, raw, unblended honey.  There really is a difference, both in taste and healthful gifts! 

And now a little education after the challenge…first, hobbyist beekeepers and commercial honey processers do things differently.  Commercial processers have to use high heat on their honey to move it efficiently through the factories.  That wrecks the taste.  Because they also have contracts that must be fulfilled, they often have to buy honey from anyone who has it to sell.  Most require a taste sample, and some submit the sample to a lab, but some don’t!  Some companies restrict their purchasing to the U.S.A., but some don’t (as in China, South American countries, etc.).  So…there goes taste AND the healthful gifts.  Yow.  Our suggestion is to check honey labels and try to know your beekeeper.

Gold Rush Honey takes pride in nurturing bees for the good of the Earth and for the glory of the honey.  We hope you love it.