For four generations, we've been passionate about producing high quality honey & offer a wide range of sizes and varietals. From the flower to your table!
The origins of Smitty Bee Honey date back to the 1920s when Louis Henkelman purchased a simple beekeeper's starter kit. What has continued to be a hobby for four generations has also become a big business, as the Schmitz family has expanded production to bring their passion for quality honey to the masses.
When LaVern "Smitty" Schmitz married into the Henkelman family in the 1950s, LaVern took an interest in Louis' hobby, buying his own bees and marketing his sweet stuff as Smitty Bee Honey to packers in the Midwest. LaVern's son, Doug, would follow in his father's footsteps, starting his own honey producing operation in 1976 and later taking over Smitty Bee operations to market honey to industrial customers for use as an ingredient. Today, Doug's son, Tony, serves as the company's General Manager and has grown Smitty Bee Honey into one of the nation's leading industrial honey suppliers with a strong reputation in the food service and retail industries.
We pride ourselves on running a modern, clean and efficient facility and continue to expand our operations to accommodate customer demand. In 2013, we are adding approximately 20,000 square feet that will include a retail bottling room, offices, and additional warehouse and production space. While our facility and operation continues to grow, we remain focused on the small-town values, hard work, and customer commitment that have helped build Smitty Bee.
Smitty Bee is proud to belong to the following organizations:
American Beekeeping Federation
Iowa Honey Producers Association
National Honey Board
National Honey Packers & Dealers Association
Western States Honey Packers & Dealers Association
Owner and fourth-generation honey producer Tony Schmitz is also a member of the National Honey Board.
For four generations, Smitty Bee has been passionate about producing high quality honey and that passion has helped create one of the most respected and requested brands in the industry. Our great relationship with approved suppliers, our good management practices, and the total commitment to quality by our experienced staff reflects in the supreme quality of our products.
Our honey is hand-selected to meet our extremely high standards and blended using different varietals, colors, flavors and countries of origin to achieve unique, yet uniform, color and flavor profiles. We use a non-invasive filtering process and leave out any processing aids or additives that could affect the taste or consistency of our product. Honey is a 100% pure product of nature and we intend to keep ours that way.
While you may find Smitty Bee on the store shelves at your local grocer, our honey is also used by some of the world's largest food corporations to make your favorite foods taste even better. Smitty Bee offers a wide range of sizes and varietals for both individual and industrial use. No matter the customer or destination, our commitment to high quality honey can be found in every batch.
Contact us today to learn more about how we serve the following industries:
Ingredient
Food Service
Retail (Private Label)
