A Honey of a Time

A beekeeping couple in Eastern Nebraska infuses their hand-gathered harvest with unexpected flavors.

- 

Some folks might balk at living with millions of potentially prickly neighbors, but for Brian and Kathy Suchan of Clarkson, Nebraska, beekeeping's a labor of love-truly. The couple met after Kathy (who was beekeeping in South Carolina) first tasted some of Brian's wares (he's a fourth-generation beekeeper) at the behest of her mother. "She said, 'Oh my gosh, I've found the best honey I've ever had in my life," says Kathy. "Which kind of hurt my feelings!"

Kathy soon got over the sting, and her romance with Brian blossomed. So did their business. Together, they founded a company-Fat Head Farms, named for their first bulldog, Porkchop and began making and selling dozens of honey products, such as Lavender Blossom Infused, Hickory Wood Smoked, and Chocolate Creamed.

They currently manage around 800 colonies (that's more than 45 million bees!), which forage for nectar all across Eastern Nebraska and produce more than 40,000 pounds of honey per year. To see what all the buzz is about, visit fatheadhoney.com.