Smitty Bee Honey Inc. (SBH) dates back to the 1920s, when Louis Henkelman kept bees as a hobby. Louis’ son-in-law, LaVern Schmitz, turned his hobby into a business, marketing to honey packers in the Midwest. Throughout the 1940s, honey demand increased due to sugar rationing to promote the war efforts and the honey industry grew. […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa - Store brands are becoming a staple in the world marketplace. One in every four products sold in 2013 was a store brand label, accounting for $1 out of every $5 in sales and totaling a record $112 billion. Smitty Bee Honey of Defiance, Iowa is now offering private label brands. They will be launching this […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa - With roots dating back almost a century, family-owned Smitty Bee Honey has always recognized and honored their rich company history. The southwest Iowa company is celebrating their 25th Anniversary as a honey packer this year. The business has come a long way since LaVern “Smitty” Schmitz’s father-in-law purchased a simple beekeeper’s starter kit in the […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa - Smitty Bee Honey recently released two new retail brands of honey. Golden Harvest and Cosecha de Oro (the Spanish translation of Golden Harvest) have been developed for sale at select retail chains and are available for purchase in a variety of sizes and container options. The brands are the first additions to the company’s existing […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa - Smitty Bee Honey continues to take their already highquality honey to new heights. The rapidly growing honey packer and producer was recently awarded the prestigious and difficult to attain Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 certification, a level only a handful of companies worldwide have achieved. This achievement indicates a comprehensive implementation […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa — The team at Smitty Bee Honey continues to grow along with the company’s thriving industrial and retail business. The honey packer and producer has added five new faces thus far in 2013, bringing their total number of employees to 14. While the Schmitz family has been in the honey industry for several decades, […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa — Smitty Bee Honey is proving they haven’t lost touch with the activities that led to the beginning of their now nationally recognized business. The company recently purchased 10 colonies of bees to raise just as General Manager Tony Schmitz’s great-grandfather did nearly a century ago, continuing a legacy that remains important to the […]
Read MoreDefiance, Iowa — Smitty Bee, a leading honey packer and producer, takes their commitment to the environment just as seriously as they take their commitment to high quality honey. The operation makes the environment a consideration during every step of their honey production process, from energy consumption to its distribution chain to recycling used materials, all […]
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