Close your eyes and imagine - a sprawling grove dotted with ripe oranges, stretching on for miles, with blossoms budding under the warm Mexican sun. Honeybees are drifting from bloom to bloom, collecting sweet, citrus nectar and filling the air with their peaceful hum. It’s in this fragrant paradise where we found this year’s batch of Orange Blossom Honey. 

Orange Blossom Paradise

Our Founder, Ted Dennard, maintains that this year is some of the best he’s ever tasted, and we only found it as a last resort. Central Florida has been our spot for Orange Blossom Honey for years. “The weather is so strange lately,” Ted explains, “This year Florida didn’t make any. Climate change is affecting where and when things bloom.” 

“But down in Mexico on the gulf, right on the border of Texas, I believe we found the purest, brightest orange blossom in the world. When you drive by the grove, it was like driving into a wall of citrus.” 

How can the flavor in Orange Blossom Honey change year to year? That all depends on location, crop and climate. Oranges grow between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and to get the purest orange blossom flavor you need a grove large enough to keep the bees occupied - and bees can fly up to six miles from the hive.

As one of our most beloved honeys, it is a priority to find the highest quality Orange Blossom Honey - one that hits every mark.

“This year’s Orange Blossom came out clear and light with bright citrus notes. We only harvested about 3 truckloads. It was super limited - and we bought all of it," Ted gushes. We want it to showcase just what the bees are capable of when provided a beautiful and luscious landscape for pollinating. 

Beekeeping in Mexico

The beekeepers we worked with have been in the family business for years, and were excited to share their experience and expertise with Ted, another lifelong beekeeper. Ted has spent a lot of time farther south in Mexico, absorbing the beekeeping practices of the Yucatán. 

The Yucatán Peninsula is Mexico's leading honey-producing region, while the whole of Mexico ranks as the sixth largest honey producer in the world. 

The History of Beekeeping in the Yucatán

Historically and recently, beekeeping in Mexico has been a standout in agricultural success, with beekeeping spanning generations, knowledge passing down from parent to child. 

In the 20th century, modern beekeepers introduced more honeybees to biodiverse areas in Mexico, enhancing local apiculture and flora with government-supported hives. 

This initiative transformed beekeeping into a significant rural business by the 1930s, with beekeepers playing a key role in environmental and societal changes.

Beekeeping in Mexico Today

Today, Yucatán's beekeepers maintain Apis mellifera (what we know as the most common honeybee, the western honeybee) colonies, while some cultivate Melipona beecheii (a stingless bee native to the region that has been domesticated by Yucatec Maya for over 2,500 years.) for local honey and medicinal uses.

Over a century of these practices have evolved beekeeping in this area into a beautiful blend of tradition and modernity.

Recently, beekeepers from the Yucatán have gained recognition as environmental activists, challenging GMO crops that are populating the area.

Their efforts led to a public and legal acknowledgment of the conflict between honey production and GMO crops, showcasing their commitment to preserving their beekeeping heritage and the environment. 

From Hive to Table

Honey roots grow deep in the Mexican cultural landscape, and Savannah Bee Company is lucky to be a small part of it.

From Orange Groves in Mexico, to a Savannah Bee Company Jar, right onto your kitchen table - each jar of honey represents a journey into the heart of nature and a commitment to our planet and its pollinators.

And don’t forget to try a jar of our Orange Blossom Honey - pure and sweet, and straight out the comb!

#savethebees