The story of how we started

At Sag Harbor Honey we are more than beekeepers, and what we do, is about more than honey. We are passionate about honeybees and creating a habitat in which they can thrive.

What once started as humble beginnings on a balcony in Queens, has now become 15 acres on the east end of Long Island. We know that without the bees we would not have a healthy environment or a vibrant community.

John and I were a young couple in our first apartment when we started our garden. Our first winter together, the apartment was overrun with pots filled with seeds. In the spring time we moved them to our “balcony garden.” Our interest grew larger every year, however, the size of the balcony did not.

We decided we needed to expand. We had the crazy idea that taking a rototiller to the side lawn of John’s parents house was a good idea. To his father’s disbelief, his mother encouraged us and told us this was totally fine. We were now on our way!

Our vegetable garden eventually became a “whole side of the house operation” and we even started planting fruit trees. Well, fruit trees needed to be pollinated. Pollination? Cross-Pollination? The more we learned, the more we learned we did not know. One thing we did know for sure is that we needed BEES. We knew that bees played an instrumental part in keeping our plants and crops alive. Did you know that without bees, one out of every three bites of food would not be possible without their assistance in pollination? So naturally, honey bees were our next adventure and we were ready for the challenge. Before we could think twice we called a local beekeeper and ordered our first package of bees. As luck would have it, when the bees finally arrived, we were on our honeymoon and poor dad had to “shake” a three-pound package, about 10,000 bees, into a hive!!

Our enchantment with bees grew quickly and from that one hive, we now manage over 50.

We are so fortunate for the love and support of our friends and family encouraging us to pursue our passion.

We love our honeybees and are so grateful for their gift of honey. From our hive to yours… We truly hope you Enjoy it!

Love,
Sofia and John Witzenbocker