Our Story – The Honey Jar

The summer before my Senior year of High School I took a road trip with my family to Texas to see my sister. I always enjoyed our family road trips because it meant lots of time to talk. On the way home we stopped for the night in Durango, Colorado. It was in the hotel lobby that we noticed a flyer advertising “Honeyville”. It caught our eye because we live in Honeyville, Utah. Of course we had to check it out.

It turns out Honeyville was a honey company in Durango. We had to stop in! We discovered the coolest honey store we’d ever seen. Honeyville Honey had amazing flavored whipped honey, jams and jellies, syrups and sauces made with honey. I bought a jar of their bumbleberry honey and dipped almonds in them all the way home. During the course of that 12 hour stretch I could not stop talking about the honey and the opportunity to share it with our friends in Utah. About 10 hours into the trip mom and dad were convinced of the possibilities. We decided to start ordering their honey wholesale and retailing it at our local fairs and festivals.

They were a hit! But they were more of a gateway than an sustainable business. The costs of fuel kept rising and shipping in the honey from Southern Colorado was becoming expensive. Lucky for us we were finding a local demand for locally produced raw honey. And as it turns out my cousin was a beekeeper! We started selling his honey. We started growing so quickly that we had to source more honey. Those first couple of years we developed friendships with many fun, local beekeepers.

We enjoy our job and the people we come into contact with. We appreciate all of the patience and support our customers and friends have been as we’ve grown and matured as a company. And we are so grateful to be living in the United States, a land of opportunity where even a 17 year old boy can start and grow a business.

And most of all I am thankful for my parents. Without them none of this would be possible. They taught me to think critically and to ask questions. They taught me the value of hard work and determination. And they did it by their example.

May I always live up to their expectations and yours.

Sincerely,
Kyle Kanno
The Honey Jar