Honeybear Brands
Honeybear Brands is a privately held U.S. apple grower-shipper supplying proprietary varieties such as Pazazz and First Kiss, plus conventional apples and cider, to retail grocery chains across North America, supported by merchandising services and a retailer data analytics product.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersElgin, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Honeybear Brands does
Honeybear Brands is a privately held U.S.-based apple grower-shipper with four decades of varietal development experience, supplying premium fresh apples to retail grocery chains across North America. The company's portfolio centers on proprietary apple cultivars — primarily Pazazz (the flagship brand), First Kiss, and Golden Honeymoon — alongside conventional varieties such as Honeycrisp sourced from domestic (Washington state) and international (Chile) growing regions to support year-round supply. It also offers apple cider products and complementary produce such as pears and cherries, with both conventional and organic growing programs.
The business model is a B2B wholesale produce operation combined with embedded retail marketing services. Honeybear sells through dedicated account managers to enterprise retailers (named customers include Hy-Vee and Cub Foods), with quote-based, multi-year contracts rather than disclosed public pricing. Beyond the physical product, the company provides comprehensive merchandising and marketing support to retail partners, including POS signage, display bins, social media imagery, community event programming, and consumer-facing content such as recipes. A newer offering, Honeybear Insights, extends this into data-driven assortment and price optimization tools for pome fruit category managers.
Commercial activity is anchored in cause-marketing partnerships (AICR for cancer prevention, National Honey Board for pollinator education), trade-press presence, and active social and content marketing. Strategic expansion is evident in a Midwest distribution partnership with Elite Apple (January 2025), a National Sales Director hire (August 2024), and ongoing product extension via limited-supply proprietary varieties. No revenue, headcount, funding, or ownership details are disclosed in the source data.
Honeybear Brands firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Honeybear Brands
- Website
- https://honeybearbrands.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Honeybear Brands is a privately held U.S. apple grower-shipper supplying proprietary varieties such as Pazazz and First Kiss, plus conventional apples and cider, to retail grocery chains across North America, supported by merchandising services and a retailer data analytics product.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Honeybear Brands is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Elgin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Honeybear Brands business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Fresh Produce Sales: Sale of premium apples and pears to retail partners across North America. Products include proprietary varieties (Pazazz, First Kiss), Honeycrisp, and other apple varieties in both conventional and organic formats.
- Merchandising and Marketing Services: Full service marketing and merchandising support provided to retail partners including POS signage, display materials, social media imagery, and community event support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B wholesale produce pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Honeybear Brands product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Honeybear Brands develops, grows, and supplies premium apple varieties to retail grocery partners across North America. The portfolio includes proprietary cultivars such as Pazazz® and First Kiss®, conventional varieties like Honeycrisp, organic options, apple ciders, and complementary produce (pears, cherries). The company also delivers full-service retail merchandising support (POS signage, display materials, social media assets) and offers a category data analytics service called Honeybear Insights.
Product overview
Honeybear Brands is an apple growing and distribution company operating a platform of proprietary and conventional apple varieties supported by comprehensive retail merchandising services. The core product portfolio centers on premium apple varieties including proprietary Pazazz® Apples (the flagship brand), Honeycrisp, and First Kiss®, with seasonal availability of pears and cherries. The company also offers Apple Cider products. The business model combines varietal development (40+ years of innovation) with full-service retail support including POS materials, display programs, social media assets, and community events. A newer data analytics service called Honeybear Insights provides retail intelligence for pome fruit category management. The company operates with both conventional and organic growing programs across multiple regions including Washington state, Chile, and other international growing regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pazazz: Proprietary apple variety developed by Honeybear Brands, marketed as a premium eating apple with cancer prevention awareness partnerships.
- First Kiss
- Honeycrisp
Products and services
- Pazazz® Apples
- Honeycrisp Apples
- First Kiss® Apples
- Apple Ciders Apple cider products including seasonal/cocktail variations such as Apple Cider Fireball and Apple Cider Margarita, sold alongside fresh apple offerings.
- Pazazz Apple Cider Cider variation made from Pazazz apples, marketed as 'pazazz in a pint'.
- Honeybear Insights Data analytics service providing assortment and price optimization decision tools for pome fruit retailers.
- Limited Supply of Golden Honeymoon™ Exclusive limited-availability apple variety released to produce shelves in early 2025.
- Retail Support Tools Comprehensive merchandising and marketing support services for retail partners, including POS signage, social media imagery, display bins, banners, recipe cards, grower profiles, videos, handouts, coupons, and community event support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Best on record harvest for Pazazz crop reported in 2021
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Honeybear Brands
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Honeybear Brands technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Honeybear Brands partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)corePazazz Apple partnership with AICR during National Cancer Prevention Month to encourage healthy eating. The collaboration drives cancer risk awareness and promotes consumption of fruits and vegetables for cancer prevention.
- Elite ApplecoreMidwest expansion partnership allowing Honeybear to expand footprint in the Midwest region through Elite Apple's distribution network.
- Chef Elle Simone ScottminorPartnership during National Cancer Prevention Month featuring Chef Elle Simone Scott to promote healthy eating with Pazazz apples.
- Hy-VeecorePartnership between Pazazz apples and Hy-Vee to help kids stay active and eat healthier. Includes promotional campaigns and community health initiatives.
- National Honey BoardcorePartnership to educate consumers on pollinator importance alongside apple orchards. Includes store displays and educational materials about bees and pollination.
- Cub FoodsminorPollinator awareness campaign at Cub Foods locations to bring awareness to the pollinator crisis and importance of bees to apple production.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Honeybear Brands competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stemilt Growers: Washington-based family-owned apple and pear grower-marketer with a proprietary-variety program (Piñata, Rave, Honeycrisp specialty lines). Directly comparable to Honeybear in business model — vertically integrated grower-shipper with branded proprietary apples, year-round supply, and major North American retail distribution.
- Crunch Pak: Sliced and packaged apple products company serving US grocery, club, and foodservice channels. Directly comparable as an apple-focused CPG-style company with branded products, retail merchandising support, and proprietary product extensions of conventional apple varieties.
- Sage Fruit Company: Yakima, Washington-based apple grower-shipper marketing branded and conventional apple varieties to North American retailers. Directly comparable to Honeybear in business model — grower-distributor with branded apple lines, year-round supply, and retail merchandising support.
- CMI Orchards: Washington-based apple grower-distributor marketing proprietary and licensed apple varieties (Kiku, Ambrosia, Envy, Jazz, Pacific Rose). Closely comparable to Honeybear in varietal-licensing business model, premium retail positioning, and full-service retail merchandising support.
- Washington Fruit & Produce Co. Washington-state grower-packager of apples, cherries, and stone fruit, with branded retail programs. Comparable to Honeybear as a vertically integrated apple grower-distributor serving major North American grocery and foodservice accounts.
- Domex Superfresh Growers: Washington-state grower-marketer of apples, pears, cherries, and stone fruit with proprietary branded varieties (Kiku, Pacific Rose). Directly comparable to Honeybear across proprietary apple development, year-round supply through growing regions, and full-service North American retail merchandising.
- Chelan Fresh Marketing: Washington-based apple, pear, and cherry grower-marketer with proprietary and licensed apple varieties. Comparable as a vertically integrated grower-shipper with branded apple products, retail marketing programs, and multi-region growing footprint.
- Rainier Fruit Company: Washington-state apple, pear, and cherry grower-marketer serving North American retail and foodservice. Comparable to Honeybear as a multi-fruit, vertically integrated grower-shipper with branded proprietary varieties (e.g., Lady Alice, Honeymoon) and retail marketing support.
- BelleHarvest Sales: Michigan-based apple grower-marketer supplying fresh apples to retail and foodservice across North America. Comparable to Honeybear as a regional apple grower-shipper expanding into proprietary and branded apple programs with multi-state growing operations.
Broad incumbents
- Oppy: One of North America's largest fresh produce grower-marketer-distributors, with significant apple, pear, and stone fruit programs under proprietary labels (e.g., Orchard View, Ocean Spray partnership). Broad incumbent serving Honeybear's same retail customers but at substantially larger scale and across many produce categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Honeybear Brands social profiles
Digital presenceHoneybear Brands financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Honeybear Brands leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Honeybear Brands funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Honeybear Brands M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Honeybear Brands
What does Honeybear Brands do?
Honeybear Brands develops, grows, and supplies premium apple varieties to retail grocery partners across North America. The portfolio includes proprietary cultivars such as Pazazz® and First Kiss®, conventional varieties like Honeycrisp, organic options, apple ciders, and complementary produce (pears, cherries). The company also delivers full-service retail merchandising support (POS signage, display materials, social media assets) and offers a category data analytics service called Honeybear Insights.
Is Honeybear Brands a public or private company?
Honeybear Brands is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Honeybear Brands founded?
Honeybear Brands was founded in 1984. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Honeybear Brands based?
Honeybear Brands is headquartered in Elgin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Honeybear Brands make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fresh Produce Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandising and Marketing Services.
Who are Honeybear Brands's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stemilt Growers, Crunch Pak, Sage Fruit Company, CMI Orchards, Washington Fruit & Produce Co., Domex Superfresh Growers, Chelan Fresh Marketing, Rainier Fruit Company and BelleHarvest Sales. Oppy is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Honeybear Brands have an API?
No public API is recorded for Honeybear Brands.