Desert Creek Honey

What Desert Creek Honey does

Desert Creek Honey is a founder-owned, vertically integrated beekeeping company based in Blue Ridge, Texas, that produces raw, unfiltered honey and related bee products under its own brands. Founded by Blake Shook in 2002 at age 12 from a single scholarship beehive, the company has grown to operate tens of thousands of beehives spread across multiple Texas counties (Fannin, Grayson, Collin, and a 45-mile radius of Houston) and runs all beekeeping, harvesting, and packaging in-house at a rural facility. The product portfolio spans raw liquid honey in sizes from 12oz honey bears to 5-gallon bulk containers, specialty SKUs such as Texas Style Hot Honey, cinnamon creamed honey, and flavored honey sticks, plus natural beeswax, honeybee pollen, and comb honey. A sub-brand called TreeHive extends the line into breakfast products (a maple-honey-vanilla-cinnamon syrup and an organic gluten-free pancake and waffle mix).

The business operates five distinct revenue streams: direct-to-consumer e-commerce through desertcreekhoney.com, wholesale distribution to retail stores, co-ops, and restaurants with custom packing services, a bee yard placement program placing 50-200 hives on Texas landowner properties for agricultural exemption purposes, almond pollination services via desertcreekpollination.com, and beekeeping supply sales through TheBeeSupply.com, CommercialBeeSupply.com, and Desert Creek Bulk Bees. Pricing is unit-based across consumer and bulk tiers, with free shipping on qualifying orders. Distribution combines e-commerce (with contiguous-US shipping restrictions on bulk), a single physical store in Blue Ridge, and a dedicated wholesale channel managed by a named account contact. Customer segments are health-conscious individual consumers seeking unprocessed honey, Texas landowners seeking agricultural exemptions, and wholesale buyers of bulk raw honey.

The company is privately held, founder-operated, with a 1-10 employee headcount, no external institutional funding, and no parent company. Owner Blake Shook holds governance seats on the National Honey Board, American Beekeeping Federation, and American Honey Producers Association, lending industry credibility. The technology positioning is rooted in physical beekeeping practices — no force filtering, no pasteurization, in-house beeswax processing — rather than software or AI capabilities, which are not present in the disclosed profile.

Name

Desert Creek Honey

Legal name

Desert Creek Honey

Website

https://desertcreekhoney.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Desert Creek Honey is a vertically integrated, founder-owned Texas beekeeping company that produces raw, unfiltered honey, specialty bee products, and breakfast items under the Desert Creek and TreeHive brands, selling direct-to-consumer, wholesale, and through a bee yard placement program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Raw Honey Production

NAICS

Apiculture (11291)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Honey Production & Extraction (AFAEAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Honey & Apiculture Sweeteners (Honey, Honey Powders) (AFAJAAAL)

Keywords

• Raw honey production
• Beekeeping supplies
• Almond pollination services
• Wholesale honey distribution
• Bee yard placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Blue Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Honey Sales: Online sales of raw honey products through their website with various sizes from 12oz bear bottles to 5-gallon bulk containers, plus specialty products like hot honey and infused varieties.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Bulk honey sales to retail stores, co-ops, restaurants, and other venues at wholesale pricing with custom packing services available.
3. Bee Yard Placement Services: Placement of commercial beehives (50-200 per location) on private land for agricultural exemption purposes. Bees are typically placed mid-March and removed by late May to early June.
4. Cross-Apiaries Services: Almond pollination business through www.desertcreekpollination.com, moving hives to cooler areas with blooming flowers once Texas flowers fade.
5. Beekeeping Supply Sales: Operation of two beekeeping supply companies (thebeesupply.com and commercialbeesupply.com) and a bulk bee business (desertcreekbulkbees.com).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Desert Creek Honey is a vertically integrated Texas beekeeping company that produces, harvests, packages, and sells raw, unfiltered honey and related bee products directly to consumers and wholesale buyers. The company operates tens of thousands of beehives across Texas and sells its honey in sizes ranging from 12oz bear bottles to 5-gallon bulk containers, alongside specialty products such as hot honey, creamed honey, comb honey, beeswax, pollen, and TreeHive-branded breakfast items.

Product overview

Desert Creek Honey operates as a vertically integrated Texas beekeeping company offering a diversified portfolio of raw, unfiltered honey products and related bee products. The core product line includes raw honey in various sizes from 1lb bottles to 5-gallon bulk containers, available in plastic and glass packaging formats, as well as specialty variants like Hot Honey and Cinnamon Creamed Honey. The company also sells complementary bee products including comb honey, natural beeswax, and honeybee pollen. A sub-brand called TreeHive extends the portfolio into breakfast foods with a maple-honey breakfast syrup and gluten-free pancake/waffle mix. The business offers wholesale honey programs for retailers and restaurants, as well as a Bees on Your Land service that places commercial beekeeping operations on qualifying Texas properties for honey production and agricultural exemption purposes. All products emphasize raw, unprocessed, American-sourced honey free of antibiotics, chemicals, and imported ingredients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TreeHive: A sub-brand featuring breakfast products including TreeHive Breakfast Syrup (maple, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon blend) and TreeHive Gluten-Free Pancake & Waffle Mix.

Products and services

• Raw Liquid Honey Raw, unfiltered Texas honey available in multiple sizes (12oz bear, 1lb bottle, 1lb glass jar, 2lb bottle, 2lb glass jar, 5lb, 1 gallon, and 5-gallon bulk) and varieties including Texas Wildflower and Light & Mild; sold to consumers and wholesale buyers.
• Honest Raw Honey 22oz 22 oz certified kosher raw honey maintaining natural enzymes, pollens, amino acids, propolis, vitamins, and minerals; free of antibiotics, chemicals, additives, and imported honey.
• Texas Style Hot Honey Raw honey infused with smoky Chipotle Morita and fiery Habanero peppers; versatile for pizza, wings, meats, and Asian/Latin cuisine.
• Raw Honey + Cinnamon (Creamed Honey) Spreadable cinnamon creamed honey made with natural honey and brown cinnamon; consistency similar to peanut butter, 100% fat-free.
• Comb Honey 8oz 8 oz piece of natural honeycomb built directly into container by bees; ready to chew like candy.
• Natural Beeswax 1lb One pound of completely natural beeswax with golden yellow color and fresh scent; produced and cleaned in-house.
• Honeybee Pollen Raw honeybee pollen containing all amino acids; marketed for allergy relief, immune support, and as a protein/energy source for athletes.
• Flavored Honey Sticks Variety 25-count packs of single-serving honey sticks in Raspberry, Lemon, Strawberry, and Apple (Apple currently out of stock) varieties; convenient on-the-go format.
• TreeHive Breakfast Syrup 12.5 oz breakfast syrup made with Vermont maple syrup, American honey, Organic Madagascan bourbon vanilla, and real organic cinnamon; no artificial additives; part of the TreeHive sub-brand.
• TreeHive Gluten-Free Pancake & Waffle Mix Organic gluten-free pancake and waffle mix made with 100% organic ingredients, sweetened with a maple and honey blend; includes two pre-portioned sealed bags.
• Wholesale Honey Program Wholesale pricing and custom packing services for retailers, co-ops, and restaurants selling raw unfiltered honey; bulk sizing available up to 5-gallon containers.
• Bees on Your Land Program Commercial beekeeping placement service placing 50-200 beehives on qualifying Texas landowner properties for honey production and agricultural tax exemption; primary focus on Fannin County, Eastern Grayson County, North Eastern Collin County, and within a 45-mile radius of Houston.
• Almond Pollination Services Cross-apiaries pollination services operated through desertcreekpollination.com; hives are moved to cooler out-of-state areas with blooming flowers once Texas flowers fade for almond pollination contracts.
• Beekeeping Supply Companies Two wholly-owned beekeeping supply e-commerce businesses — thebeesupply.com (retail) and commercialbeesupply.com (commercial) — selling beekeeping equipment and supplies.
• Bulk Bees Business Wholly-owned subsidiary (desertcreekbulkbees.com) selling bulk bees to other beekeepers.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Honey BoardcoreOthersOwner Blake Shook serves on the National Honey Board, which works to promote honey in the USA. The board supports research, education, and marketing of honey products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nature Nate's: One of the largest US raw & unfiltered honey brands with national grocery distribution; comparable product positioning (raw, unfiltered honey) and overlapping D2C plus retail wholesale channels.
• Local Hive Honey: US raw, unfiltered honey brand sold in grocery retail with a similar farm-to-jar positioning and emphasis on varietal sourcing — directly competes with Desert Creek on premium raw honey shelves.
• Y.S. Organic Bee Farms: US raw, unfiltered honey brand with extensive retail presence across bee-derived products (honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly) — directly comparable on raw-honey D2C and complementary bee-product portfolio.
• Really Raw Honey: Direct-to-consumer raw, unfiltered US honey brand emphasizing unpasteurized production and minimal processing — competing for the same health-conscious consumer seeking authentic raw honey.
• Crockett Honey: Multi-generational US beekeeping operation producing raw honey at scale with wholesale and retail programs — closely comparable vertically integrated apiary model with similar product portfolio.
• Bee Local: Oregon-based single-source, raw, unfiltered varietal honey brand emphasizing traceable micro-apiaries — directly comparable single-origin, raw positioning aimed at premium retailers.

Broad incumbents

• Mann Lake: Major US beekeeping supply and equipment company. Comparable to Desert Creek's supply subsidiaries (TheBeeSupply, CommercialBeeSupply) on the beekeeping-equipment side of the business.
• Dutch Gold Honey: Large US honey packer and supplier serving retail, foodservice, and ingredient channels with private-label capabilities — relevant comparable on wholesale, custom packing, and bulk honey distribution.
• GloryBee: Oregon-based vertically integrated honey and ingredients supplier operating both retail honey and bulk ingredient/B2B channels — comparable vertically integrated model and broader food-ingredient distribution footprint.

Regional players

• Honey Pacifica: US raw honey brand serving West Coast retail with a similar varietal, single-source raw-honey story — adjacent comparable for raw-honey retail positioning in non-overlapping geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/desertcrkhoney
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DesertCreekHoney
• Facebookfacebook.com/desertcreekhoney
• Instagraminstagram.com/desertcreekhoney
• Pinterestpinterest.com/desertcreekhone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desert-creek-honey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 Desert Creek Honey