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Honey House, Inc. owner Eric Augspurger described his business with only four words: “It just continues on.”
The Honey House has been in business for 55 years and is owned and operated by Augspurger, a grandson of the founder Glade (P.G) Johnson. Glade’s son Ron and his wife, Beverly, ran Honey House for many years. Now Glade’s grandson is at the helm.
Honey House is one of the area’s small businesses that continue running year after year. They employ one or two workers year round and more in the busy season, which for Honey House runs from mid-September to mid-December.
Although Honey House still processes honey, it has also expanded services by processing jams, jellies, and butters. It also bottles sorghum and molasses.
In the last couple of years, Honey House has also been producing canned relishes, pickles, and vegetables. To be certified to can these products, Augspurger attended classes at the University of Arkansas.
He smiled as he referred to the class he took for certification in acidic food processing. Because most of the products contain vinegar, it is sometimes referred to as “vinegar school” or even “pickle class.”
Augpurger said that most of the introduction of new products came because his customers asked for them. He was already supplying them with honey, and they told him they needed a consistent producer of jams and jellies. Now he also makes vegetable-based products.
One interesting sidelight concerns Bekemeier’s jams and jellies. Augspurger said that Honey House had been making their products for several years. So when the opportunity came, he bought Bekemeier and has included their brand name as his own.
What is processed at Honey House comes from all over the United States. Most of the strawberry products come from California. The apples come from Michigan. He likes to only deal with products that are domestic.
The honey comes primarily from the Midwest with much coming from the Dakotas. Augpurger explained that most of the Dakota honey comes from hives which are located next to “set aside” land (acreage set aside by farmers who receive a fee to not grow crops.) Having honey from these areas means there are fewer possibilities of getting any honey from flowers that have been sprayed with insecticides or pesticides. The majority of the flowers are native or white clover which thrives in the Upper Midwest.
He does not buy much honey from local growers, but does on occasion. Some bee clubs do combine their honey crops in the fall and bring it to Honey House to process so they can sell it locally.
Honey House, Inc. owner Eric Augspurger described his business with only four words: “It just continues on.”
The Honey House has been in business for 55 years and is owned and operated by Augspurger, a grandson of the founder Glade (P.G) Johnson. Glade’s son Ron and his wife, Beverly, ran Honey House for many years. Now Glade’s grandson is at the helm.
Honey House is one of the area’s small businesses that continue running year after year. They employ one or two workers year round and more in the busy season, which for Honey House runs from mid-September to mid-December.
Although Honey House still processes honey, it has also expanded services by processing jams, jellies, and butters. It also bottles sorghum and molasses.
In the last couple of years, Honey House has also been producing canned relishes, pickles, and vegetables. To be certified to can these products, Augspurger attended classes at the University of Arkansas.
He smiled as he referred to the class he took for certification in acidic food processing. Because most of the products contain vinegar, it is sometimes referred to as “vinegar school” or even “pickle class.”
Augpurger said that most of the introduction of new products came because his customers asked for them. He was already supplying them with honey, and they told him they needed a consistent producer of jams and jellies. Now he also makes vegetable-based products.
One interesting sidelight concerns Bekemeier’s jams and jellies. Augspurger said that Honey House had been making their products for several years. So when the opportunity came, he bought Bekemeier and has included their brand name as his own.
What is processed at Honey House comes from all over the United States. Most of the strawberry products come from California. The apples come from Michigan. He likes to only deal with products that are domestic.
The honey comes primarily from the Midwest with much coming from the Dakotas. Augpurger explained that most of the Dakota honey comes from hives which are located next to “set aside” land (acreage set aside by farmers who receive a fee to not grow crops.) Having honey from these areas means there are fewer possibilities of getting any honey from flowers that have been sprayed with insecticides or pesticides. The majority of the flowers are native or white clover which thrives in the Upper Midwest.
He does not buy much honey from local growers, but does on occasion. Some bee clubs do combine their honey crops in the fall and bring it to Honey House to process so they can sell it locally.
Although Honey House sells most of its products wholesale, they do have a showroom and sell retail. Colleen Bogle, longtime Honey House employee, said that she serves about three or four retail buyers each day.
“Some have been coming once a week for years,” she said. “As long as I’ve been here (14 years).”
The honey can be bought in a variety of sizes, from a pint to five gallons. Bogle said she is surprised so many people buy five gallons at a time.
“They divide it up with their family and friends,” she explained.
Visiting the Honey House retail room is a treat. The walls are covered with murals of bears, bees, bee hives, and sunflowers. Some of the display tables are unused and unpainted bee hives.
Where else can a person go where you are greeted by the fresh smell of warm blackberry fruit butter, honey, or sorghum molasses?
Bogle added, “I think sometimes we need to bake and sell fresh rolls too!”
