Today we’d like to introduce you to Rannie Bond.
Hi Rannie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2018 my wife Lindsey and I, both veterans of the US Navy, after completing our degree work in San Antonio, Texas (Lindsey a BA in Interior Design and I an MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute), picked up and moved to the Upstate so that our daughter Jenna could attend Clemson University. Instate tuition is much cheaper than out-of-state. After being here for about 6 months, I attended a beginners Bee Keeping class. Learning about pollinators and their importance to the world, we were excited to try beekeeping. We had yet to learn that we would be full-time beekeepers at the time. Well, Spring came, and we received our first hives. We went from 5 to 10 the following year, then to 35 in 2020, and 2021 had us over 100, and in 2022 it just kept growing. The honey here in the Mountains of the Upstate is unique to most other honey worldwide; people love its flavor. This demand has led us to build a 3200 sqft processing facility where we can do everything from building our bee hives to extracting and bottling our honey. The 2023 season is starting well, and we are excited to continue delivering our product to our amazing customers. We plan to open a storefront on HWY 28 and 107 in March 2024.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Beekeeping is about loss as much as it is about gain. The Honey bee has many factors working against it, from parasites, hive Beetles, Varroa mites, birds, bears, and people; you name it, there are plenty of obstacles in beekeeping. We are trying to keep wild creatures in a box and hope they enjoy it enough to stay. Getting started was hard, but with the mentorship of some great people from the local Beekeepers Association, we had some great support, and we cannot begin to thank them enough.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We produce bee products, including honey, wax, candles, and Bees. Our business includes branded honey sales in over ten stores from SC to Virginia. We also visit and maintain hives for some people that want bees but need more time. We provide a free catch service, but what sets us apart from others is our Structural bee removal service. We climb up, remove the bees, and place them in areas where they can thrive away from folks who are not as excited about them as we are. If you see Honey Bees in a clump in a tree or the side of a house, do not spray them; call us, and we will come and move them! Bees are constantly moving, and our homes look as inviting to them as they do us.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Never Give Up! Several times I have wondered if this is what we are supposed to be doing, and every time, something happens to let us know we are right where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to be doing.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: Chattooga Honey
