Just a few short years ago, the answer as to why someone might become a beekeeper was probably a very simple, “Honey.”  However, three years into our own adventure, using the term “farming” to describe what we’re doing feels inaccurate. While pollinator conservation is probably a topic deserving of its own article, its impact on the growth of beekeeping as a hobby is probably more in line with where we at Pete’s Bees find ourselves today.  That being said, to claim such altruistic origins would be disingenuous.

Pete’s Bees began with booze.

In the same way that wine is made from yeast fermenting the sugar in grape juice, mead is made from yeast fermenting the sugar in honey.  Homebrewing was something that interested me for many years before I finally tried my hand at it, but when I did, mead seemed like an interesting place to start.  Sourcing the honey became a challenge, however. It wasn’t that honey was a difficult thing to find, but it was daunting to look through the different brands and flavors and types and… Wouldn’t be neater to make my own?

I approached my father with the idea of setting up hives on his land, but it was a question asked half in jest.  I had no idea he would latch onto the idea so seriously, and with the same dangerous, fanatical level of obsession we Petes are known for (much to the dismay of our wives).  Some time after I brought it up, my father approached me with the idea of getting serious about beekeeping. It seemed like a pretty interesting hobby to get into. I had no idea how far we would be taking it.

We started in the spring of 2017 with two hives, and it quickly became apparent that this was a serious passion for both of us.  We didn’t collect much honey that first year, but another “quickly apparent” understanding was that what we were doing was for the bees.  Although collecting honey was what got us started, honey shifted to being a byproduct of what we were trying to achieve (and certainly, monetizing that flow was a far-away fantasy).  It was the incredible nature of the bees that captivated us.

From the fascinating complexity of their eusocial society, to the instinctual feats of engineering, to their surprising gentleness… We declared ourselves “beekeepers” first and honey farmers second.  These days, our roles in their lives are less that of managers and more that of caretakers. Honey isn’t the goal, but a side-effect of being good shepherds. It is with this mindset that Pete’s Bees moves forward as a company.

The bees come first.