Sweet Bee Honey Company

What Sweet Bee Honey Company does

Sweet Bee Honey Company is a fifth-generation, family-owned apiary operating from a 15-acre farm in the Blue Mountains overlooking the Walla Walla River in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. The company produces raw, unfiltered, single-source varietal honey from its own hives across eight product lines (American Vetch, Star Thistle, Pacific Northwest Wildflower, Orange Blossom, Blackberry, Buckwheat, Sweet Clover, and Creamed Honey), with on-site extraction and packing and no heating above hive temperature. The product portfolio extends to reusable wooden nucleus hives (Carniolan and Italian cross bees with mated queens) sold annually on May 1st, plus an on-farm tasting room offering honey flight tastings, observation hive education, and retail purchases on Fridays and Saturdays.

The business operates through three primary revenue channels: direct-to-consumer sales at the farm tasting room and seasonal U-Pack Honey events priced at $5/lb ($6/lb if using company jars), wholesale to roughly 15 specialty food retailers, bakeries, boutiques, flower farms, and food service accounts across Oregon and Washington, and online reshipping via Country Mercantile for national reach. Selected food service partners include Abeja Winery, Brasserie Four, Water Buffalo Brewery, Pine Cone Creamery, and D'Olivo Tasting Bar. In 2024, founders Ryan and Stacie Lieuallen established The Bee Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has begun planting 60+ acres of pollinator habitat and constructing a five-mile educational walking path near Milton-Freewater, accepting tax-deductible donations.

With 1–10 employees, no external funding, and a privately held family ownership structure, the company positions itself on authenticity, generational expertise, full farm-to-jar traceability, and pesticide/toxin-free certification rather than scale. The combination of wine country agritourism, a cause-driven nonprofit, curated retail partnerships, and an emerging nucleus hive business represents a multi-axis expansion of the original honey operation.

Name

Sweet Bee Honey Company

Legal name

Sweet Bee Honey Company Inc.

Website

https://sweetbeehoneyco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1860

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sweet Bee Honey Company is a fifth-generation family apiary in Milton-Freewater, Oregon that produces raw, single-source varietal honey from its own hives and sells through an on-farm tasting room, regional retail and food service partners, and online reshipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Raw Honey

NAICS

Apiculture (112910), Apiculture (11291)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAEAHAA

Honey Production & Extraction

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Apiculture (Beekeeping)

SECONDARYAFAJAAAL

Honey & Apiculture Sweeteners (Honey, Honey Powders)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Ingredients & Additives/Sweeteners (Sugar, Syrups, High-Intensity Sweeteners)

Keywords

• Raw honey production
• Varietal honey products
• Beekeeping operations
• Artisanal honey retail
• Nucleus hive sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Freewater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Honey Product Sales: Retail sales of raw, single-source varietal honey through the on-farm tasting room, online via Country Mercantile marketplace, and through a network of regional retailers and food service partners across Oregon and Washington. Products include 8 varietal honeys: American Vetch, Star Thistle, Wildflower, Orange Blossom, Blackberry, Buckwheat, Sweet Clover, and Creamed Honey.
2. Nucleus Hive Sales: Annual sales of nucleus hives (baby beehives) to beginning and experienced beekeepers. Hives are offered once per year on May 1st. Each nucleus hive includes a reusable wooden box, 4 frames of bees with a freshly mated queen, brood, and an internal feeder.
3. U-Pack Honey Events: Self-serve honey packing events where customers bring their own jars or purchase jars on-site and fill them with honey at $5 per pound. Serves as both a revenue stream and a customer appreciation/engagement event.
4. The Bee Foundation Donations: The company-founded 501(C)(3) The Bee Foundation accepts tax-deductible donations (one-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual) to fund pollinator habitat restoration, education, and advocacy. Donation tiers suggested at $10, $25, $50, and $100 with optional fee coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sweet Bee Honey Company produces and sells raw, unfiltered, single-source varietal honey from its five-generation family hives on a 15-acre farm in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. The company extracts and packs honey on-site, never heating it above hive temperature, and offers 8 distinct varietals (American Vetch, Star Thistle, Pacific Northwest Wildflower, Orange Blossom, Blackberry, Buckwheat, Sweet Clover, and Creamed Honey) in reusable glass jars. The company also sells nucleus hives to beekeepers once per year on May 1st, operates an on-farm tasting room with honey flight experiences, hosts seasonal U-Pack Honey events, and runs The Bee Foundation pollinator habitat initiative.

Product overview

Sweet Bee Honey Company is a fifth-generation family apiary producing raw, unfiltered, varietal honey from their family hives in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. The company operates as a unified farm-to-table honey and gifts operation consisting of 9 distinct single-source artisan honey varietals (American Vetch, Star Thistle, Wildflower, Orange Blossom, Blackberry, Buckwheat, Sweet Clover, Creamed Honey, and seasonal offerings), nucleus hive sales for beekeepers, and a retail tasting room experience. The company also operates The Bee Foundation, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit focused on pollinator habitat restoration. All honey is produced from the family's own hives, extracted and packed on-site at the farm, and sold through retail locations and the tasting room.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• American Vetch Honey Light, bright varietal honey with initial citrus and tropical fruit notes developing into creamy light brown sugar richness with vanilla undertones; recommended for baking, refined sugar replacement, and pairing with citrus dishes. Sold to individual consumers through the tasting room, online marketplace, and regional retailers.
• Star Thistle Honey Mild honey with caramel, molasses, and browned butter richness, developing into guava and honeysuckle freshness with a lightly toasted marshmallow finish; color ranges from white to extra light amber. Sold to individual consumers through the tasting room, online marketplace, and regional retailers.
• Pacific Northwest Wildflower Honey Light amber honey produced from multiple floral sources in the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Oregon and Washington, with earthy, resinous, and roasted sweetness plus mandarine orange, caramelized peach, and quince notes. Sold to individual consumers and regional retailers.
• Orange Blossom Honey Summery honey with bright citrus flavor paired with airy marshmallow mouthfeel, finishing with velvety sweetness and lemon peel essence. Sold to individual consumers and regional retailers.
• Blackberry Honey Tangy, pungent extra light amber honey with hints of maple, molasses, alfalfa, and fresh-cut grass, featuring a lingering flavor reminiscent of dried pine and beeswax. Sold to individual consumers and regional retailers.
• Buckwheat Honey Stout, smoky amber/dark amber honey with heavy sweetness and earthy, chocolate, and leather finish with hints of citrus; known for health benefits and used for braising, short ribs, and winter meads. Sold to individual consumers and regional retailers.
• Sweet Clover Honey White, light-bodied honey that melts in the mouth like butter, with hints of vanilla, dried fruit, maple, and raisin, and a lingering finish with jasmine and cinnamon undertones; excellent for caramelizing, Asian dishes, vinaigrettes, and mead making. Sold to individual consumers and regional retailers.
• Creamed Honey Water white, smooth, velvety, and spreadable creamed honey with mild vanilla and citrus aroma; retains natural sweetness of raw honey with a refined, mellow profile and remains spreadable and creamy textured. Sold to individual consumers and regional retailers.
• Nucleus Hive Complete nucleus hive package for beekeepers including a reusable wooden nucleus hive box, 4 frames of bees (healthy worker bees, freshly mated Carniolan/Italian cross queen, and brood on standard deep frames), and an internal feeder; sold once per year to beginning and experienced beekeepers.
• Honey Tasting Room Experience Family-friendly tasting room experience at 81965 Lincton Mountain Rd, Milton-Freewater, OR, offering honey flights of all 8 varietals, an observation hive with bee education, and a retail shop for honey and bee-related products; open Friday 11am–4pm and Saturday 11am–3pm (closed all of June 2026 for production).
• U-Pack Honey Customer Appreciation Event Self-serve honey packing event at the farm where customers bring their own jars or purchase on-site jars and fill them with honey at $5 per pound; provides access to limited varietals like Sweet Clover and serves as a customer appreciation/engagement event driving bulk purchases and foot traffic.
• The Bee Foundation 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that accepts tax-deductible one-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual donations (suggested tiers of $10, $25, $50, and $100 with optional 3% fee coverage) to fund pollinator habitat restoration, education, and advocacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% single-source traceability from own family hives
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Bee FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Bee Foundation is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit established by Sweet Bee Honey Company founders Ryan and Stacie Lieuallen in 2024. It focuses on pollinator habitat restoration, education, and advocacy. In 2024 it began constructing a five-mile educational walking path and planted the first 60+ acres of pollinator habitat near Milton-Freewater, Oregon. The foundation accepts tax-deductible donations and represents the company's core mission-driven initiative for the future of honeybees and pollinators.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Savannah Bee Company: National specialty honey brand with a tasting-room-style retail concept and broad varietal portfolio. Comparable operating model (specialty varietal honey + experiential retail), though at much larger national scale.
• Golden Barrel Honey: Larger specialty honey producer with broad varietal and bulk honey offerings. Comparable as a multi-varietal raw honey producer serving retail and foodservice customers, though at significantly greater scale.

Regional players

• GloryBee: Oregon-based honey and beekeeping supply company. Comparable because it is a Pacific Northwest honey producer with beekeeping products, though significantly larger and more diversified than Sweet Bee Honey.
• Hudson Valley Apiary: Northeast family apiary producing single-origin raw varietal honeys. Comparable single-origin varietal raw honey model, though operating in a different geographic region.
• Tropical Traders: Pacific Northwest specialty food brand selling through regional retailers and tasting-room-style venues. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest specialty food producer with a similar experiential distribution approach, though not a honey producer.

Direct peers

• Bee Local: Portland-based single-origin raw honey producer sourcing from Pacific Northwest apiaries. Direct peer because both sell varietal, traceable raw honey to specialty retail and foodservice customers.
• Bee Raw: Specialty varietal raw honey brand selling curated single-origin honeys online and through specialty retail. Direct peer because both sell single-source varietal honeys positioned as premium, traceable products.
• Really Raw Honey: East Coast raw, unfiltered honey brand positioned as a premium unprocessed alternative to commodity honey. Comparable premium raw-honey positioning and direct-to-consumer/retail distribution model.
• Sleeping Bear Farms: Small-batch varietal honey producer in the Midwest. Comparable as a small family-run raw varietal honey operation selling through specialty retail and direct channels.
• Marshall's Farm Honey: California-based family-run raw honey producer with varietal offerings. Direct peer because both are family-operated single-source raw honey producers selling varietals to specialty retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sweetbeehoneycompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sweet-bee-honey-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sweet Bee Honey Company