We are Louisvilleās beekeeping store! We sell woodenware from Antler Ridge and cypress equipment from Peter Zook, and awesome protective clothing from Guardian Bee Apparel. Plus most of the common equipment and supplies at affordable prices. Additionally, we offer three beekeeping classes each month and host The Louisville Spring Bee School and The Louisville Fall Bee School.
Our mission, and indeed our passion is to promote the public awareness of honeybees, educate potential beekeepers, and provide beekeeping assistance to those less fortunate.
We are a family-run bee farm with apiary locations in North Central KY. Local - Raw - Unfiltered Natural Honey from Kentucky!!
HoneyBear Farms KY is owned by Joel & Ruth Gonia who raise bees to produce honey, sell bees and equipment, and provide assistance to other beekeepers. They are active within local, state and national apiculture organizations, including Kentucky State Beekeepers Association, Kentucky Queen Bee Breeders Association, Kentuckiana, Oldham, Shelby and Bullit County Beekeepers Associations, and the Eastern Apicultural Society where Joel is training to become a Master Beekeeper. Joel is also an instructor for the Midwest Master Beekeeper Program.
Our niche is selling local, natural, raw honey and raising bees acclimated to our unique climate.
Joel is fond of telling anyone who will listen that when purchasing honey, make sure to read the label! Most honey sold wholesale and purchased in the larger grocery stores has been filtered and pasteurized to maintain color consistency and promote longer shelf life before granulating. This process removes most of the pollen from the honey, and a lot of the natural flavor. It is the pollen that provides medicinal benefit. All honey labels should state where the honey came from and if it has been filtered and pasteurized, or not. Read your labels!
Honey cannot be USDA Certified Organic in the US because the requirements are not realistic / practical for honeybees. Honeybees may fly up to a 2-mile radius to find food and water. So, to be assured the honey is organic, then ALL of the vegetation within a 4-mile radius of the hives must be certified organic - Not too many farms can comply. Actually, I don't know of any. Honey from South America and other countries have different Organic Certifications that are less stringent.
Certified Naturally Grown's apiary certification standards for natural beekeeping is about as close as a beekeeper can get to becoming organic. HoneyBear Farms has introduced these standards in our daily best practices, including use of approved treatments and management of the bees.
It's all about the Bees !! We're on our way to maintaining over 500 colonies, or about 25 million bees. Give us a call and come on by for some Bee-talk, or maybe try some of our delicious HoneyBear Chocolate Comb. Working on HoneyBear Soap, t-shirts, pottery and candles too!
Our Story
Our kids wanted bees - We thought they were crazy! To come up with new and innovative reasons to tell our kids we "cannot and will not raise bees!" we began to consider the possibilities. š Ruth, who is a behavior therapist for special needs children, thought maybe the bees would be an alternative activity for our children, particularly our child with autism. Joel, who is a commercial equipment appraiser, of course conducted exhaustive research into the practical application of becoming a bee farmer and the potential business opportunities. After a couple years reading books and searching the internet, Joel & Ruth purchased a Starter Kit, a couple hives, and some Nucs. We were fortunate that we had mentors from the beginning who were willing to help us out and answer our questions. Better yet, they let us help them manage their hives and gain first-hand experience.
Today we are active members in five different beekeeper associations. Joel regularly attends beekeeping seminars and conferences. And the books keep piling up!! Additionally, Joel has embarked on a 5-year intensive program to become a Certified Master Beekeeper through the Eastern Apiculture Society.
Yes, we sell honey and bees, but we also provide beekeeping services including mentor assistance, honey extraction and packaging, and wax treatment. One of our passions is to help other small businesses and local charities, so we offer an expanding line of synergistic products including T-shirts, pottery, candles and soap!!
Soap with Purpose
Your purchase of soap from āSoap with Purposeā (Part of the HoneyBear Farms family) is proud to donate proceeds to various charities. Our son, Nick Trout, is the founder, soap maker and genius behind the entire project to raise funds for various charities around Louisville and surrounding areas. Nick has a kind heart and continues to raise money year-round, so please, if you ever need soap for a gift or for your home, let him know! Heās perfecting his soap making skills to make each batch betterā¦ask for a specific blend that you prefer as well !!
