How do we source our honey? On a Bee Safari, of course!
Runamok’s founders, Eric and Laura Sorkin, went down to Florida in April with our bee expert Todd Hardie to meet with beekeepers, visit hives, and source the best raw varietal honeys nature has to offer.
When we decided to add honey to the Runamok lineup, we knew we needed to partner with Todd Hardie, a resident Vermonter and one of the nation’s most respected beekeepers. He taught us what to look for in the different varietals and introduced us to his network of beekeepers who span the whole country – including Florida, where the extensive growing season provides year-round food for our favorite pollinators.
We went on our Bee Safari in early April, right in the thick of sugaring season, because it happens to overlap with the tupelo blossom in the Florida panhandle. White Ogeechee tupelo trees are mainly found in remote swamps between Florida and Georgia, and the nectar from their blossoms are what bees use to produce the prized tupelo honey (more on that to come…). We visited our beekeepers in the area to secure a new batch of orange blossom honey, which is in short supply this season, and met with our current partners to check out their operations.
We documented our trip on our social media platforms, and you can check out those recap videos below (or visit our Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok)!
We learned so much and had such a wonderful time. Thank you to everyone who hosted us: Leslie and Steve Cantu, Bo Townsend, Luke Cantu, and the Winter family. It has been such an incredible journey and a really fun bee safari. There is so much going on with bees right now – with their habitat, what’s threatening them, and just how precious this honey is. We have so much more to share, so stay tuned for updates and additional honey content to come…
