Healthy Skin Starts on the Inside

Yes, Honey Sweetie Acres is a skincare company.  But the health of your skin is also innately tied to the health of your body.  Reducing your processed sugar intake by converting to natural sources can have a big impact on your complexion. Steve and I are frequently complimented on our skin.  Honey has long been touted as a healthy alternative but I’ve known a few people who were “bored” with its singular flavor.  It doesn’t have to be that way and we will delve more into this shortly.

We found a lovely little gem in our part of the country that we feel compelled to share with all our customers.  Honey adulteration is a serious problem in the United States.  Pure, non-processed honey from the hives is rarely found in grocery stores.  Your best source is a real bee farm with experienced beekeepers.  We are blessed to have such a small farm in our area……GM Bee Farm. If you would like to learn their story and how a family created a thriving small business……scroll to the bottom of this Blog for their family story!

GM Bee Farm is run by George D. Anderson and his adult daughter Christina. They have spent the last couple of years refurbishing a 100-year-old church into a honey store, just around the corner from our farm.  We have partnered over the years, using their honey in our soaps.  But what struck me about this family was their knowledge and dedication to the bee industry.  Do it right or don’t do it attitude.

With connections across the United States, they are able to bring customers a combination of healthy varietals in flavor and function. We are pleased to share their products in our retail store and online to help them showcase this special honey nationwide. Why? Because the quality cannot be surpassed. So have a Honey Tasting Party (seriously…….they are all the rage right now) and here are some varietals on our website you can offer and have fun sampling with friends.

Honey for Health

• Avocado Honey –  (Southern California Variety). Bees gather the nectar from the Avocado “flowers” before they develop into the avocado fruit itself. Avocado honey is typically dark amber in color and a little heavier-bodied. It has a velvety texture and rich flavor similar to caramelized molasses, without bitterness.
• Wildflower Honey – (Ohio Variety) Named so for the miscellaneous and undefined flowers that bees will visit in any one locale.  Made from the fragrant nectar of flowers, herbs, trees, and bushes near their hive. The composition and taste can vary depending upon what is in bloom at the time the honey is made.
• Alfalfa Honey  – (New Mexico variety) The nectar comes from the purple-white seed flowers through the summer. Alfalfa is an important hay source and multiple cuttings are
•  grown through the summer which bees play an important part.  The honey is light amber in color, mild in flavor and the aroma is similar to that of clean beeswax.
• Buckwheat Honey – (Ohio Variety) Buckwheat blossoms bloom late into the fall. Its nectar produces dark, flavorful honey with a distinctive malt/molasses flavor. It is the type of honey most often used in barbeque sauces. Depending on the region, it can have a lingering after-taste.  Pairs well with hearty cheeses.  A good replacement for maple syrup or molasses.
• Mesquite Honey – (New Mexico variety) A very mild honey where bees have visited mesquite blossoms as well as various cactus, resulting in an earthy or slightly smokey flavor.
• Raspberry Blossom – (Southern Michigan Variety) comes from the blossom of the Raspberry bush and imparts a raspberry finish to the honey. A subtle but definite berry taste.
• Lavender Blossom –  (Oregonia, OH variety) The flavor is unique. A velvety texture with a lingering lavender flower finish. Some may have a delicate floral scent
• Sunflower Honey –  (Oregonia, OH variety) A very mild honey that is a medium shade of yellow. Bees LOVE Sunflowers and they are literally grown all over the US, so many regions will have their own version of Sunflower Honey.

THE STORY OF GM BEE FARM

Our family has been keeping honeybees for many years. Our past generations kept bees out of necessity, as most families had done for self-sufficiency. Bees were a part of the family, a crucial part of our food production, and necessary for survival. At a noticeably early age, my father, George D. Anderson III, learned how to tend to the bees from his grandfather Oscar Balzheiser.  

His love for his family’s honeybees grew stronger each year as the bees helped our family pollinate many of the fruits and vegetables that were grown and preserved. Healthy honeybees ensured that the crops would produce well and the honey was a beautiful sweet treat because of their attentiveness and hard work. George grew up keeping bees and is passionate about sharing what he knows with everyone he meets. For as long as I can remember we have had a couple of beehives in our yard. It was not until 2010 that he decided that bees were going to be our future.  

In 2010 a major retirement plan was made. My father George, announced to the family his plan to grow an apiary in anticipation of filling the void in his time after retirement. That year we added many new colonies to our property and we began to build a formal apiary. As the years passed each of us found our passion for beekeeping. There was a role for everyone to take.   

My mother Michelle is a wonderful bookkeeper and was diligent in filing all the necessary paperwork to establish the business and she continues to maintain the demanding day-to-day clerical and legal parts of our family business. As George’s daughter, Christina, I have found a passion for working with the community. Diligently working the weekends at local farmers’ markets and craft fairs spreading our love of honeybees and of course, marketing our honey and hive products. Many of our friends we have today share the same love of honeybees and are a crucial part of our development and growth.   

 In 2016 we purchased an old church in Newtonsville, Ohio. We anticipated to use it as a store in the future. We slowly fixed it up and in doing so met many amazing supportive members of our community. We did not have a set date to open nor did we know at the time exactly what magic was to soon unfold  In 2019 as the pandemic hit our beloved nation, I found myself at home with my children as we were all quarantined. It was a very scary time full of fear and uncertainty. It was then that we realized the time we were given to focus on the bees was a blessing in disguise. We realized this was our opportunity to give our full attention to our beautiful family business. 

The Clermont County House Of Honey was established in 2019 and the doors opened for the first time smack dab in the center of a pandemic. Fortunately, the bees had no idea that the nation was under quarantine and they thrived as my father and his team continued to add more colonies and locations for honey production. We began to build shelving and fill them with delicious honey varieties. I began working with the products from the hive and developed healthy hive medicines from the bee propolis. I had the necessary knowledge of candlemaking as we had owned and operated a candle store in the late 1990s called The Flickering Wick. I began stocking the store with handmade candles, honey, and other apiary products. I developed skincare products, created gift boxes, and took on special orders from customers throughout the holidays.  

Before we all knew it our dreams were coming true. Today we have more than 300 honeybee colonies. We supply hundreds of colonies to beekeepers each spring and those numbers are growing as each year passes. We conduct basic beekeeping classes at many community events and I continue to work with local schools and daycares spreading our love and knowledge to all who wish to listen. We are passionate about honeybees and are proud to say we are a small part of professional American Beekeeping. We guarantee you will love our honey!