Barkman Honey LLC

What Barkman Honey LLC does

Barkman Honey LLC is a fourth-generation, family-owned honey producer and packer headquartered in Hillsboro, Kansas, with beekeeping and packaging operations dating to the 1920s and the company formalized in 1960. It operates packaging facilities in Kansas, New York, Florida, and Ohio, alongside company-owned beekeeping operations in Artesian, South Dakota, giving it vertically integrated control from hive through finished product. Its product portfolio spans multiple consumer brands — Busy Bee Raw Honey, Bee Harmony Honey, Busy Bee Classic, Pure N Simple, Thrifty Bee, and Naked Wild Honey — alongside bulk honey and private-label/white-label manufacturing for retail and foodservice customers.

The company's revenue model is a hybrid of consumer packaged goods (CPG) sales through major marketplaces (Amazon, Walmart) and its direct-to-consumer site (busybeehoney.com), combined with B2B private-label manufacturing and bulk honey distribution to foodservice operators. Barkman was the first U.S. honey packer to achieve True Source Certified status (2011) and SQF Food Safety and Quality Certification, and it maintains lot-code traceability from hive to consumer. The firm has engaged in applied bee-health research partnerships with Cornell University and the University of Florida, and in 2023 joined the Thesis Initiative committing to science-based emissions reduction targets.

Distribution, packaging format range (including inverted bottles and various bulk container sizes), and quality certifications are the principal commercial assets. The company provides no public disclosure of revenue, headcount, capital structure, or institutional ownership; it remains a privately held, family-controlled LLC.

Name

Barkman Honey LLC

Legal name

BARKMAN HONEY, LLC

Website

https://barkmanhoney.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Barkman Honey LLC is a fourth-generation, family-owned honey packer headquartered in Kansas, operating multi-state packaging facilities. It sells branded honey (Busy Bee, Bee Harmony) via mass retail and online channels and manufactures private-label honey for retail and foodservice customers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Honey Packaging and Manufacturing

NAICS

Apiculture (11291)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Honey Packaging, Bottling & Private Labeling (AFAEAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Honey Production & Extraction (AFAEAHAA), Honey & Apiculture Sweeteners (Honey, Honey Powders) (AFAJAAAL)

Keywords

• Honey packaging services
• Private label honey
• Consumer honey brands
• Foodservice honey supply
• Bulk honey manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: Barkman Honey produces custom-branded honey products for retail and foodservice customers, offering 'one call, one order, one ship' capabilities that consolidate both private brands and Barkman Honey brand honey for maximum cost efficiency.
2. Consumer Branded Products: Direct sale of proprietary brands including Busy Bee Raw Honey, Bee Harmony Honey, Pure N Simple, Thrifty Bee, and Naked Wild Honey through online store, Amazon, and Walmart.
3. Bulk Honey Sales: Sale of honey in various container formats from classic honey bears to inverted bottles, serving both retail and foodservice sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Barkman Honey packages and distributes honey products under multiple consumer brands (Busy Bee Raw Honey, Bee Harmony Honey, Busy Bee Classic, Pure 'N Simple, Thrifty Bee, Naked Wild Honey) and provides private label and white-label honey manufacturing services to retailers and foodservice operators. The company processes raw honey through company-owned apiaries and supply chain partners, performs in-house laboratory testing for purity and safety, and offers customized honey profiles, container formats, and consolidated ordering for business customers.

Product overview

Barkman Honey is a family-owned honey company offering a portfolio of honey brands across different market segments. The core offerings include Busy Bee Raw Honey (flagship traceable raw honey), Bee Harmony Honey (premium responsibly-sourced honey), and several value sub-brands (Busy Bee Classic, Pure 'N Simple, Thrifty Bee, Naked Wild Honey). The company also provides private label honey manufacturing services with customization options including testing, flavor profiling, and diverse container packaging for retail and foodservice customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Busy Bee Raw Honey: A raw honey brand with traceability features allowing consumers to trace products down to the bees that made it. Every bottle provides information about the pollinator flowers and bees involved in production.
• Bee Harmony Honey
• Busy Bee Classic
• Pure 'N Simple
• Thrifty Bee
• Naked Wild Honey

Products and services

• Busy Bee Raw Honey Flagship raw honey brand featuring full traceability from pollinator flowers to bees, allowing consumers to trace products down to the source. Sold direct-to-consumer online.
• Bee Harmony Honey Premium honey sourced from trusted beekeepers using responsible practices, with only the finest batches selected after careful tasting and testing.
• Busy Bee Classic Classic honey product from the Busy Bee line available on Amazon.
• Pure 'N Simple Value-tier honey product sold in an 80 oz size at Walmart, positioned as an accessible everyday option.
• Thrifty Bee Budget-friendly honey brand available on Amazon in 80 oz bottles.
• Naked Wild Honey Wildflower honey product available on Amazon, positioned as a natural option.
• Private Label Honey Manufacturing Custom private label and white-label honey manufacturing service for retail and foodservice customers, offering one-call ordering, comprehensive quality testing, personalized honey profiles, and a wide array of container options from honey bears to inverted bottles.

Quantifiable outcome

• First U.S. honey packer to achieve True Source Certified (2011)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarkman Honey sponsors bee health research programs in partnership with Cornell University to advance bee health research alongside self-sponsored projects.
• University of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarkman Honey sponsors programs with University of Florida to further advance bee health research in addition to company self-sponsored projects.
• The Bee & Butterfly Habitat FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization supported by Barkman Honey for habitat preservation to ensure bees have the environment they need to thrive.
• Project Apis m.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization supported by Barkman Honey for habitat conservation to help ensure bees have the environment they need to thrive.
• Thesis InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience-based sustainability initiative bringing retailers together to work toward more sustainable food supply chains by minimizing or avoiding emissions throughout production, with commitment to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions 42% by 2030 and Scope 3 emissions 25% by 2030.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Wedderspoon Organic: U.S. premium Manuka and raw honey brand sold through natural and mainstream retail. Comparable to Barkman's Bee Harmony premium positioning and traceability-led brand storytelling.
• Comvita: New Zealand-based Manuka honey producer and packer with global branded distribution. Comparable to Barkman's premium honey positioning, sustainability narrative, and branded SKU strategy.

Direct peers

• GloryBee: U.S. honey and bee-products packer serving retail, foodservice and ingredient customers, with beekeeping heritage. Comparable to Barkman in raw sourcing, packaging, and branded honey products, including organic and specialty varietals.
• Dutch Gold Honey: Largest U.S. honey packer, supplying retail private-label and foodservice honey. Direct competitor to Barkman in private-label manufacturing, contract packing, and category scale across retail and foodservice channels.
• Golden Heritage Foods: U.S.-based honey and syrup packer with strong private-label business. Closely comparable to Barkman on private-label manufacturing, foodservice supply, and supply-chain certification programs.
• Madhava Honey: U.S. honey and natural sweetener packer serving retail and foodservice. Comparable to Barkman across private label, branded honey, and clean-label sweetener positioning.
• Nature Nate's Honey: U.S. raw and unfiltered honey brand widely distributed in retail. Comparable to Barkman's Busy Bee Raw positioning on traceability, purity messaging, and mass-market retail placement.

Regional players

• Capilano Honey: Australia's largest honey packer, supplying domestic retail and export. Comparable to Barkman as a scaled honey manufacturer with branded and private-label exposure, though primarily Australia-focused.
• Rowse Honey: UK-based honey packer with strong branded retail presence and private-label operations. Comparable to Barkman as a multi-tier branded packer serving major grocery retailers.
• Bee Maid Honey: Canadian beekeeper-owned honey cooperative, packing branded and private-label honey. Highly comparable to Barkman on beekeeper-owned vertical integration, cooperative/governance culture, and packer capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barkmanhoney

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Barkman Honey LLC