Our Story - The Honey Jar

A Long Drive, a Hotel Lobby, and a Common Name

We had just finished visiting my sister in Texas and were driving back to Utah when we stopped in Durango, Colorado for the night. As kids often do, we explored the hotel lobby while our parents checked in. That's when I found something that would change my life forever. There, among the other tourist information, was a flyer for a local honey store called "Honeyville."

We couldn't resist checking out a place with the same name as our hometown.

It was like discovering a magical shop. Full of color and scent. Free samples and a room where you could watch the jars being bottled.

The shelves were lined with flavored whipped honey in a variety of flavors, but one in particular caught my eye and tempted my taste buds. Bumbleberry. The sweet combination of honey, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries was simply delicious.

What really excited me wasn't just the incredible taste - it was seeing "Honeyville" right there on the label. I kept picturing people in our Utah town picking up a jar because of the familiar name, then falling in love with what was inside.

I bought that jar of Bumbleberry and couldn't stop thinking about it the entire drive home. The next day, I called the Colorado company about wholesale pricing. They told me I'd need a resale license, so on July 10, 2005, I registered with the state of Utah.

Then my parents did something that still amazes me. They looked at their seventeen-year-old son, obsessed with honey from a road trip, and said yes to a $1,000 wholesale order on their credit card. For a family that counted every penny, it was an enormous leap of faith.

I was officially in business.

Building on a Strong Foundation

Looking back, my parents had been preparing me for this moment without even realizing it.

Growing up in Honeyville, we lived by the principle of self-reliance. When something broke, we fixed it ourselves. We raised chickens and goats, grew our own food, and learned that most problems have solutions if you're willing to work for them. Dad taught me building skills and how to think through challenges step by step. Mom showed me what steady leadership looks like and the importance of putting family first.

Money wasn't a taboo subject in our house. We learned budgeting, planning, and the value of patience. They never just shot down my ideas - instead, they asked thoughtful questions that helped me see the flaws myself.

I'd been talking about starting a business since I was twelve, reading business books and pitching Dad my latest ideas. Most weren't practical, but when I came home from Colorado talking nonstop about honey, they could tell this was different.

We started at local events - Box Elder County Fair, Peach Days - setting up samples of eighteen different flavored whipped honeys and watching people's faces light up. Soon customers were asking where they could buy these year-round.

Our customers became our best teachers. When someone asked about raw honey, I didn't know what that meant, but I learned quickly. In spring 2006, we added local raw honey alongside our Colorado imports, starting with honey from my cousin's hives and bottling it at the senior center kitchen during evening hours.

That November, I launched our first website. While my parents weren't entirely convinced it was necessary, they supported my independence and trusted me to learn from whatever happened. I knew it would be easier to grow if we could reach a bigger nationwide audience, especially since we were in such a rural location.

By 2008, rising fuel costs made the Colorado honey too expensive to continue. We shifted completely to local sources, working with multiple beekeepers since my cousin had scaled back his operation. Dad converted his workshop into a licensed commercial kitchen, and we transformed our living spaces to handle the growing business.

We even installed an honor stand on our front porch for after-hours sales. Despite Dad's initial worries, our community proved it could be trusted.

When Everything Nearly Fell Apart

In 2014, I moved to a house in West Point and set up a commercial kitchen in my home. By 2016, growth demanded more space - we needed room for new honey stick equipment and employees.

Moving into our first commercial facility felt like we'd made it. Instead, it created our biggest crisis yet.

Higher rent and overhead weren't matched by sales growth. I started falling behind on everything, facility rent, my mortgage, supplier payments, loan installments. Credit cards maxed out. My old car was barely holding together.

After missing three mortgage payments, I hit rock bottom. One evening, sitting in that sweltering car after another brutal day, I did the math and faced the reality: I was failing badly. I applied for regular jobs, went to interviews, really considered walking away.

But no job offers came. It felt like the universe was forcing my hand - double down and figure this out.

A Conversation That Changed Our Direction

Instead of giving up, I stepped back and started thinking strategically. I hired our first employee to work alongside me, which gave me time to actually plan instead of just surviving each day. I negotiated with creditors and streamlined our offerings to focus on what we did best.

One day, a customer from Bountiful found our website and drove up to see us. She wanted something we'd never made - complete honey favor kits for her event. Small jars, wooden dippers, personalized labels, the whole package.

I took her information, promised to research it, and said I'd call her back. That conversation opened up an entirely new direction we could develop and grow. In all the years since, with everything that's happened, we've completely lost track of her name. But her simple request fundamentally shifted our business.

Amazing how one customer's question can reshape an entire business - it all comes down to whether you're willing to listen and deliver what they are asking for.

What We've Built

Today we offer raw honey, Utah Honey Corn, honey sticks, beeswax lip balm, hand-poured candles from trusted local beekeepers, and those personalized favor packages that began with one customer's question.

Honey embodies what we believe in - it's pure, genuine, and timeless. People value it so much they try to counterfeit it, but authentic honey nourishes and heals in ways that nothing artificial can match.

That's what we try to match in everything we do.

Recently, a customer from Nevada called to place his regular order. We've been talking for fifteen years without ever meeting in person. He asks about my parents by name, I check on his daughter who also became a customer, and he shares updates about his town while I tell him about ours.

We can't build these personal relationships with every customer, but conversations like this remind me what we're really creating - genuine connections through quality products and dependable service.

Our Promise to You

We try to treat you the way we'd want to be treated. A bride once called us, stressed because her wedding favors hadn't arrived. Instead of making excuses or adding to her worry, we immediately sent a replacement order overnight at our expense. Her wedding went perfectly, and that's exactly how it should be.

That means offering only products we'd use ourselves - raw honey, Utah Honey Corn, honey sticks, beeswax lip balm, hand-poured candles, and favors - all made with care and backed by real people.

When you trust us with your orders, we take that responsibility personally. If something goes wrong, we'll do everything reasonable to make it right. While we can't control every shipping delay or unexpected problem, we promise to respond with honesty, empathy, and fairness - every time.

Because when you trust us, you're trusting more than a brand. You're trusting our word. And that still means something to us.

Join Our Story

That seventeen-year-old with honey dreams could never have imagined where this journey would lead. Today, everything we create connects back to those early lessons about hard work, community trust, and doing the right thing.

When you choose The Honey Jar, you're not just buying honey - you're becoming part of our story and allowing us to be part of yours.  

From our family to yours,

Thank you!
The Honey Jar

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