You’ve heard of wine tasting and maybe even olive oil tasting…but honey tasting? Visit The HIVE in Woodland to discover over 30 unique varietal honeys and to learn more about honey production. You can even sip on a glass of mead and enjoy a farm-to-table meal!

California’s Central Valley is known for its bounty. Farmers in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys grow around 250 different fruits, vegetables and nuts. And, according to the USDA, over 75% of these depend on pollinators, like bees, to produce a crop. The pollen that honey bees collect from flowering trees and vegetables is, in turn, used to make nectar – and ultimately honey. It’s a beautiful, mutually beneficial relationship. 

Both five-star chefs and everyday consumers rave about the quality of California’s produce, but the complexities of California Grown Honey are not so well understood. If your experience with purchasing honey is limited only to grocery store aisles, you might not even be aware that there are over 300 different types of honey. You also might be surprised to learn that, like winegrapes, each different honey varietal offers a distinctly different expression. Our friends at The HIVE in Woodland are on a mission to educate folks about the many different faces – and flavors – of California honey.

The HIVE – One Honey of a Tale

So, what is The HIVE? Today, it’s a premier honey (and mead!) tasting room, but the current iteration was decades in the making. The HIVE started almost 50 years ago as a passion project. Founder Ishai Zeldner was first introduced to beekeeping while spending time on Kibbutz Beit Hashita in Israel. After graduating college, he moved to the kibbutz in search of adventure.

What he found was so much more – his future. After spending four seasons learning the ins and outs of beekeeping and honey production, Ishai returned back to the States and drove all the way across the country to the University of California, Davis to learn more about his beloved bees. 

While studying at Davis, Ishai worked with legendary master beekeeper Clarence Wenner. It was here that he first discovered varietal honey – honey made exclusively from one flower. Yellow Star Thistle Honey stole his heart, and after graduation, Ishai was thrilled to share his love of varietal honey with everyone around him.

He regularly gifted friends, family and even new acquaintances with a quart of this liquid gold. In 1979, Ishai started Moon Shine Trading Co., turning his passion into a business sharing the beauty of varietal honey with a larger audience. 

In 1980, Amina Harris joined Ishai in California. Together, the two would build both a family and their business. Amina’s background in specialty foods complemented Ishai’s expertise in honey. As Moon Shine Trading Company grew, Ishai sourced and selected unique varietal honey while Amina worked to position the business as a premier purveyor of gourmet foods. Before long, Moon Shine Trading Company offered 30 different types of varietal honey, honey fruit spreads, natural nut butter, comb honey products, honey in the straw, and a full line of beehive products like pollen, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly.

As Busy as their Bees

Moon Shine Trading Company was a success, but Amina and Ishai had an ever bigger dream. The couple wanted a way to interact with customers and to teach people about the nuances of varietal honey. They envisioned a honey tasting room, one with an on-site warehouse and even a pollinator garden. In 2017, Amina and Ishai found the perfect property and excitedly began to plan the design and layout. 

Then, tragedy struck. Ishai was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed away in June 2018. He never got to see his dream come to fruition, but his family banded together to follow through with their plans. After four long years – through planning, construction and COVID – Amina and her now-adult children, Josh and Shoshana, realized their dream. At the end of 2021, they opened their fantastic new facility, The HIVE.  

Location is everything

When building a hive, location is everything. The HIVE is located in Woodland, at the northern end of the Central Valley.  Woodland’s proximity to major highways and metropolitan areas like Sacramento and the Bay Area makes it a convenient day trip or an easy stop for travelers just passing through. Amina adds that the HIVE’s proximity to farms and ranches is also particularly appropriate, since that is where much of the honey-making magic happens! She states, “Having an ag-related business in Woodland makes us a part of the historical scene of the great Central Valley of California. We are at the crossroads of fruits, nuts and veggies – many of which are being pollinated by honey bees all up and down the entire west coast.”

Why all the buzz about The HIVE? 

On a recent trip to Woodland, we had the privilege of visiting The HIVE and meeting with Amina, Josh and Shoshanna.

The first thing that stands out about the property is the impressive outdoor dining area and pollinator gardens. Then, walking into the tasting room, you’re surrounded by a stunning selection of well-curated products and two separate tasting areas – one for honey and the other for mead.

Amina explains, “The HIVE is a totally unique location in California and maybe the United States, offering a huge selection of varietal honey — over 30 — and showcasing meads from across the country. Mead is the world’s oldest alcohol-based drink, going back over 8000 years! In addition, we also have a great restaurant and have become a local destination for the community and for visitors from across the state and even the world!”

What is mead? This age-old beverage is simply wine made out of honey rather than grapes – which is why it makes sense for The HIVE to also serve mead. Mead is yet another delicious way to showcase California Grown honey. 

Sourcing the honey

The HIVE sources unique honey varietals from carefully selected beekeepers, many of whom are part of a multi-generational operation. Amina adds, “Some of the beekeepers we work with now are the sons and daughters of beekeepers that Ishai worked with 40 years ago! We are truly involved in a family business.”

Want to learn how honey is made? We visited Bennett’s Honey Farm to get the scoop!

A sweet experience – tasting the difference

During our visit to The HIVE in Woodland, California, Amina led our tasting experience. She deftly explains the ins and outs of honey tasting – and if you’re familiar with wine tasting, you’ll likely see quite a few similarities. 

“When you taste honey,” Amina began, “When you taste wine or cheese – or almost anything — you can simply eat it and enjoy it. Or, you can savor it…” She outlines the specific steps to making the most out of your honey tasting experience:

Look at the honey — notice the color

Smell the honey and take in its aroma

Taste the honey – more than once.

Breathe in through your mouth and out your nose to activate your tasting palate.

Pay attention to the mouthfeel.

Swallow and pay attention to the aftertaste and the lingering effects.

After your honey tasting, learn how to incorporate some of your favorite varietals into marvelous meals by heading to the outdoor dining area to enjoy a leisurely al fresco lunch or afternoon snack. Chef Diego Wilk designs each dish to showcase locally sourced, seasonal produce and a specific varietal honey. 

Sneak a peek at the latest menu!

Why should people choose locally-grown honey? 

By now, most consumers understand the importance of buying locally-grown produce. You’re not only getting the highest quality fruits, vegetables and nuts – you’re also supporting local farmers! This same philosophy applies to honey. When you choose locally produced varietal honey, you’re supporting your local beekeepers AND enjoying a premium product. But which varietal should you choose? Amina chimes in, “It doesn’t matter. I always tell people to choose the one they like best.”

Visit the HIVE

1221 Harter Ave.
Woodland, CA 95776

(530) 668-0660
thehivee@zspecialtyfood.com

Website

Hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 11AM-3PM | Friday 11AM-5PM | Saturday 10AM-5PM

Make it a day trip!

If you’re heading to the Woodland area to visit The HIVE, why not make it a day trip? Amina excitedly shared some of her favorite area destinations: “There are creative restaurants and wineries throughout Yolo County – Matchbook Wines, Grindstone Winery, Berryessa Gap and Turkovich in Winters.  Interesting restaurants in Woodland include The HIVE, Kitchen 428, Savory Cafe, and Blue Note Brewery. After lunch, take a field trip to Winters for wineries and brunch at Putah Creek Cafe or dinner at Preserve, or a stop at Berryessa Brewing, adjacent to Berryessa Gap winery. Then, enjoy the great outdoors. I love hiking along Putah Creek in Davis, visiting the Yolo Bypass for birding, bicycling on our many bike trails and paths.”

Fun Honey Facts!

A honey bee makes about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her life.

Worker bees are all females.

At the height of summer, there might be 50,000 bees in the hive.

Honey is great for sore throats — its viscous quality coats your throat and reduces tenderness

Honey has been used for millennia as a ‘bandage’. It is antimicrobial – sucking up water and thereby sucking the life out of nasty bacteria.

Article and photography by Hilary Rance.