About Craft Honey
Supporting Backyard Beekeepers
Our objective at Craft Honey is to help increase the number of successful beekeepers of all ages and to reduce the amount of hives that die off annually. You could say we’re helping to save the bees, but it’s much more than that. We’re trying to bring new blood into the beekeeping community and spread the joy and knowledge of successful beekeepers to the next generation of would-be beekeepers.
We achieve these goals through education, primarily using YouTube as a channel to reach beekeepers. We also donate a portion of our profits to nonprofit organizations that promote honeybee stewardship and train and educate beekeepers.
We fund our programs by selling small-batch honey and gifts items designed for beekeepers by beekeepers.
Every bottle of honey we sell has been harvested by a backyard beekeeper. Every item we sell made from honey, beeswax, or hive products is made by a beekeeper or their spouse. All of our t-shirts and other beekeeper gifts have been designed by beekeepers for beekeepers and bee friends. Because who knows bees (and beekeepers) better than a beekeeper?
Dave & Jim
Empowering Beekeepers for Success
Each year, beekeepers lose between 20 and 40 percent of their hives to disease, weather, infestation, and an invasive mite known as the Varroa Destructor. That particular pest is appropriately named, because the mite almost destroyed beekeeping in the United States, leading to massive bee die-offs and dead-outs.
It’s frustrating to lose your hives and not know why your bees died. It can be both an emotional and economic loss. For new beekeepers, this kind of a setback can cause them to give up on beekeeping.
At Craft Honey, we want to help combat the loss of beehives and support new beekeepers so they can overcome the losses and go on to become successful beekeepers, not just for their first year, but forever. We believe education is key to beekeeper success.
Our Founder
The Founder of Craft Honey, David Reeder started keeping bees in 2009 when his daughter expressed an interest in beekeeping. Like many, they started with a single hive. Things went well for several years and they harvested what his daughter was convinced was the best honey every. (Every new beekeeper thinks this, so it’s OK if your honey is also the best honey ever.)
Eventually, his daughter went off to college and has work responsibilities grew. The hive became more of a hassle than a joy, so when the bees died early the spring of 2014, Dave stored his equipment away, thinking beekeeping would be a good hobby during retirement.
Then the lockdown hit, and the business closed. Dave unpacked his bee jacket and tried again, starting with three hives and increased enthusiasm. Two of the three made it through the next winter and then grew to five, and then six. Five of the six made it through the following winter and grew to eight. He had promised his wife he wouldn’t have more than ten hives, so he moved a few to an out yard, allowing for more growth as the cycle continued. His success rate increased with his knowledge.
Dave in his first bee jacket
During this period, Dave was active in his local bee club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association serving beekeepers in three North Carolina counties. He taught a section of their beginner’s bee school, designed their website, served as a mentor to new beekeepers, became a board member, and later served as the association’s president. It was while volunteering with the association he saw first-hand how training and education could make the difference between beekeeper success and failure.
Dave founded Craft Honey to help backyard beekeepers and hobbyists succeed, to find outlets for their honey and other products, and to help educate new beekeepers. Be sure to watch his how-to videos to increase your odds of being a successful beekeeper.
And while you are here, please consider buying something in our store. Each purchase helps support local beekeepers, honeybee stewardship, and beekeeper education.