For some of us, the sound of bees buzzing is enough to terrify us. And while we run from them, one family is running their whole business around them.
Henry Harlan is a beekeeper and owner of Henry's Bullfrog Bees in Winters. He is also a seventh-generation farmer who started the business in 2007 with the hope of helping his fellow farmers "get a jump on pollination" (thus the apiary's name). He hasn't looked back, placing his bee boxes in orchards and farms across Northern California.
In addition to pollinating, the bees' hard work also results in a sweet treat for us to enjoy: honey! That's why, in 2009, Henry's daughter, Doniece, had the idea to create a line of honey called PURE Honey. And you better bet, everything at their honey company is done purely by hand—from the extracting to the bottling to the label making and even to the grafting of queen bees to ensure their new hives are as strong as possible.
From cinnamon to pumpkin spice to roasted local almonds, Doniece and her team have a flavor to satisfy everyone's taste buds and are offering up all of their honey to an eager fan base at a variety of markets, including the Davis Farmers Market. That's where they can interact and educate the public each week about the sweet and symbiotic relationship between bees and humans.
Just like the state's farmers, the bees have continued working, despite the last few years having been particularly rough, with wildfires and a statewide drought hurting some of their colonies. But this family has worked hard to keep their hives happy and healthy as they continue to be a voice for the bees and spread the news about their importance from their hives to our homes.
For more information about Pure Honey, visit https://purehoneyca.com/
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