Bennetts Valley Honey Company practices organic beekeeping methods
Since its foundation in 2021, Bennetts Valley Honey Company has quickly grown in popularity for the quality of its products, produced out of a home in Byrnedale, Elk County.
Referred to as “a small batch artisan apiary focused on organic beekeeping methods” by the National Honey Board, BVHC is owned by Lisa Stanley and Justin Gerg. The couple began beekeeping in 2020 with just two hives for personal use of honey.
“Word quickly spread about our beehives,” Stanley said. “Friends and neighbors began to inquire if we were going to sell honey, and the decision was made to add more hives to provide raw, unheated honey to the local community.”
Shortly thereafter, they added lotions and lip balms.
In March 2023, a full commercial kitchen certification allowed them to expand their offerings to jams and jellies, baked goods and more.
Mostly a one-person operation, Stanley handles the day-to-day duties of the business, while Gerg assists with marking queens after splits and during fall honey harvest.
“Bees are checked weekly from April 15 through the end of October,” she explained. “This includes confirming the presence of a healthy queen, limiting pests and diseases, splitting hives to prevent swarming, and adding or removing honey supers throughout the season.”
Worker bees gathered at the front of a hive on a warm summer afternoon. Keeping some workers outside helps keep temperatures within the hive regulated, particularly as foragers return home for the day.
In addition, winter preparation is conducted at the end of October, and hives are “tucked in for winter” at that time.
“Bees are definitely work, but they’re fascinating and addictive,” she said.
When fresh spring honey is ready for harvest, “the exterior comb is removed, and the frames are placed in an extractor that spins the honey out and into a bucket to fill jars for customers of all ages.”
Stanley noted that only excess honey is harvested.
“A beekeeper always leaves the bees enough to sustain the colony,” she said.
Stanley said BVHC operates under the idea, “If it isn’t something we would put into or on our bodies, we won’t sell it to you or put it into or on yours.”
“All of our jams and jellies are made the same way that our grandmothers did with the same recipes. Baked goods are made with organic flour, farm fresh eggs, real butter, and real vanilla. Lotions and balms are not chemically- laden,” they said.
Fresh spring honey ready for harvest.
These principles are what customers appreciate about BVHC products, which are available at PA Made, Lakeside Market, Triple Nickel Distillery, Benezette Wines, Camp Sweetleaf, Big Maple Family Farm and the Elk Country Visitor Center, as well as a few local rentals as welcome gifts.
“We occasionally attend vendor events, but all of our products are available direct from us at our location here in Byrnedale during normal business hours or by appointment,” they said.
In the summer, BVHC’s insect repellent is very popular, and in the winter, solid lotion bars, for example.
“Customers appreciate our values for quality of products and the extraordinary taste of all of our jams and baked goods,” said Stanley.
They also appreciate the ability to order custom gift baskets during the holidays.
“Additionally, customers appreciate that we never heat our honey, and that it is local and raw,” she said.
Shown are a few of the products offered by Bennetts Valley Honey Company.
While BVHC does not offer a large variety of products, the key is about quality.
“Each product that we do offer has been carefully chosen to uphold our standards of both quality and flavor.”
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