Dutch Gold Honey

What Dutch Gold Honey does

Dutch Gold Honey, founded in 1946 by Ralph and Luella Gamber in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is the largest family-owned and largest independent honey packaging business in the United States. The company sources, processes, packages, and distributes honey across roughly fifteen varietals (Clover, Wildflower, Buckwheat, Orange Blossom, Alfalfa, Extra Light Amber, Blossom Hill, Baker's Special, Golden, Organic, Non-GMO Organic, Moorland raw lines, Hot Honey, and others), plus McLure's brand maple syrup acquired in 1997. Production runs from two facilities — the Lancaster, PA headquarters at 2220 Dutch Gold Drive and the Littleton, NH plant acquired via McLure's — with packaging capabilities spanning both raw, minimally heated honey (under the Moorland label) and filtered honey engineered to delay crystallization. The company's signature intangible asset is the original squeezable plastic honey bear, invented in 1957 by the founders, retained under common law, and still sold as the iconic 12oz Clover Honey Bear SKU.

The revenue model is multi-stream: direct e-commerce bulk (60lb pails priced $129-$189 depending on varietal) sold to bakeries, breweries, and food manufacturers; private label manufacturing programs on multi-year contracts for brands and retailers; and retail-sized SKUs (12oz, 1lb, 5lb, 32oz) routed exclusively through authorized distributor partners such as AllBulkFoods.com. Sales are domestic only — the company explicitly does not ship outside the United States or to P.O./FPO/APO boxes. Customer segmentation is horizontal across food service/manufacturing, retail consumers, and private label brands. Marketing channels are predominantly content-led: an extensive website with recipes, a Sweet FAQ education hub, and organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), supported by email and SEO.

The company is privately held by the Gamber family (Bill, Kitty, Nancy, and Marianne Gamber are all named owner/operators) with no outside institutional investment, no venture capital, and no historical funding rounds in the source record. The company holds four industry certifications — True Source Certified, USDA Organic, SQF, and Non-GMO Project Verified — plus Pennsylvania Certified Organic inspection, providing supply chain traceability and food safety credentials required by institutional buyers. Corporate structure includes two wholly-owned sub-brands: McLure's (maple syrup) and Moorland Apiaries (raw honey), acquired in 1997 and undisclosed respectively.

Name

Dutch Gold Honey

Legal name

Dutch Gold Honey

Website

https://dutchgoldhoney.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dutch Gold Honey is the largest family-owned, independent honey packaging business in the United States, founded in 1946 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It sources, processes, and packages roughly fifteen honey varietals plus McLure's maple syrup, selling bulk to bakeries, breweries, and food manufacturers and retail SKUs through authorized distributor partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Honey and Maple Syrup

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Honey Packaging, Bottling & Private Labeling (AFAEAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spreads, Sweeteners & Syrups (Jam, Honey, Nut Butters, Maple) (CRADAAAC), Honey & Natural Sweet Spreads Manufacturing (AFAKADAL), Honey & Apiculture Sweeteners (Honey, Honey Powders) (AFAJAAAL)

Keywords

• Honey packaging
• Maple syrup production
• Private label honey
• Bulk honey supply
• Organic honey products

Headquarters

HQ city

Pausa

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Honey and Maple Syrup Product Sales: Direct sales of packaged honey and maple syrup products through e-commerce and distributor channels. Products sold in various sizes from retail (12oz, 1lb, 5lb) to bulk (60lb pails) quantities.
2. Bulk and Wholesale: Bulk honey and maple syrup sales to bakeries, breweries, food manufacturers, and other food service businesses.
3. Private Label: Private label honey and maple syrup products manufactured for other brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dutch Gold Honey packages, processes, and distributes a wide range of varietal honey (Clover, Wildflower, Buckwheat, Orange Blossom, Alfalfa, Organic, Non-GMO, Raw, Hot Honey) and McLure's maple syrup products in retail sizes (12oz, 1lb, 5lb) and bulk 60lb pails. The company supplies bakeries, breweries, and food manufacturers through direct bulk sales, offers private label programs to brands and retailers, and distributes retail products exclusively via authorized distributor partners across the United States.

Product overview

Dutch Gold Honey operates as a multi-product honey and maple syrup company with a diverse portfolio centered around their core honey offerings. The product line includes over a dozen honey varietals (Clover, Wildflower, Buckwheat, Orange Blossom, Alfalfa, Golden, Extra Light Amber, Blossom Hill, Baker's Special) available in multiple formats from retail-sized containers (1lb, 12oz, 5lb) to commercial bulk pails (60lb). The company differentiates through specialty products including Organic Honey, Non-GMO Project Verified Honey, and Hot Honey (chili-infused). Supporting the honey business are McLure's Maple Syrup products and commercial offerings including bulk honey pails and private label solutions for food manufacturers and retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moorland: Raw honey product line including Raw Clover and Raw Wildflower varieties
• McLure's

Products and services

• Clover Honey Light, sweet honey with delicate floral aroma and hints of cinnamon, suited to cooking, baking, and topping. Sold in 1lb, 5lb, 32oz, and 60lb pail sizes.
• Wildflower Honey Full-bodied honey sourced from the nectar of various wildflowers and flowering trees, with a deep, rich flavor for baking and cooking.
• Buckwheat Honey Robust, dark honey with an earthy, molasses-like flavor gathered from buckwheat blossoms; known for higher antioxidant content.
• Orange Blossom Honey Light, golden aromatic honey with citrus notes collected from orange groves, intended for tea or topping use.
• Organic Honey USDA Organic certified honey from remote-region beehives, full-flavored and darker in appearance, with full hive-to-packaging traceability.
• Non-GMO Organic Honey Non-GMO Project Verified organic honey from remote-region bees foraging on wildflowers free from chemical applications.
• Hot Honey Chili-infused honey balancing sweet and spicy flavors for pizza, chicken, vegetables, ice cream, or fruit.
• Golden Honey Blend of Clover and Wildflower honey with deeper flavor than pure Clover, suited as an all-purpose sweetener.
• Alfalfa Honey Light, delicate honey gathered from alfalfa blossoms, suited to table use, sauces, dressings, and marinades.
• Extra Light Amber Honey Wildflower-based honey blend with strong floral flavor, suited for pound cake and tangy sauces, sold in 60lb commercial pails.
• Blossom Hill Honey Light, classic-flavored honey sourced from North and South America, used as a clover substitute in marinades, vinaigrettes, and infusions.
• Baker's Special Honey Dark honey blend designed for baking and food manufacturing, with hearty flavor for whole wheat bread and barbecue sauces.
• Moorland Raw Clover Honey Raw clover honey that retains pollen, enzymes, propolis, and minerals; heated only to 140°F.
• Moorland Raw Wildflower Honey Raw wildflower honey medium in color with rich flavor and retained pollen, enzymes, propolis, and minerals from unprocessed honey.
• Moorland Honey in the Rough Raw clover honey with retained pollen, enzymes, propolis, and minerals, never heated above naturally occurring hive temperature.
• Clover 12 oz Honey Bear The Original Honey Bear signature retail packaging invented in 1957, sold as a 12oz squeezable clover honey bear.
• McLure's Maple Syrup McLure's brand maple syrup including Grade A varieties across color and taste profiles, with certified organic options available.
• Bulk Honey Pails (60 lb) 60lb bulk honey pails across the company's varietal lineup sold directly to bakeries, breweries, and food manufacturers.
• Private Label Honey and Maple Syrup Program Custom private label manufacturing of honey and maple syrup products for retailers and brands under their own labels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organic honey traceability - 100% trackable from hive to packaging, inspected yearly by organic inspectors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McLure's Honey & Maple ProductscoreOthers · 1 January 1997McLure's Honey & Maple Products, based in Littleton, NH, joined the Dutch Gold Honey family in 1997. It is a registered trademark of Dutch Gold Honey and specializes in maple syrup products including USDA Organic maple syrup. Both brands are certified by Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Barkman Honey: Kansas-based honey packer and private-label supplier that competes directly with Dutch Gold as one of the largest independent U.S. honey packers across retail, bulk, foodservice, and co-packing channels.
• GloryBee: Oregon-based honey and ingredient supplier that competes in bulk honey, private label, and organic/specialty varietals for food manufacturers and retailers, mirroring Dutch Gold's multi-channel approach.
• Nature Nate's Honey: U.S. branded raw and unfiltered honey company competing in the same grocery and club-store channels as Dutch Gold, with similar raw and organic certifications.
• Golden Blossom Honey: Florida-based honey packer that operates as both a branded honey producer (Bee-Horn) and private-label co-packer to retailers and food service — a directly comparable operating model.
• Miller Honey Company: Idaho-based multigenerational honey packer supplying bulk and private-label honey, making it one of the closest operating-model comparisons to Dutch Gold.
• Burleson's Honey: Texas-based branded honey company selling varietal and specialty honeys through retail and food-service channels, mirroring Dutch Gold's varietal-strategy and U.S. distribution.
• Tropical Foods: U.S. snack, nut, and honey co-packer with private-label capabilities across bulk and retail, similar in customer mix and contract-manufacturing position to Dutch Gold.

Broad incumbents

• Sioux Honey Association (Sue Bee): Largest U.S. honey cooperative and owner of the Sue Bee brand; competes with Dutch Gold across branded retail honey, bulk supply, and private label with significantly greater scale.

Regional players

• Bee Maid Honey: Canadian honey cooperative that packages and distributes branded varietal honey primarily in Canada, providing a regional counterpoint to Dutch Gold's U.S.-only footprint.

Emerging players

• Madhava Natural Sweeteners: Boulder-based maker of organic honey and natural sweeteners focused on clean-label and traceability, competing for the same premium/private-label retailers Dutch Gold serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dutch Gold Honey