Today we’d like to introduce you to Kurt Gutwein.
Hi Kurt, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ll tell you a story now and at times it may sound incredible and supernatural, but it is true and it is a story I have been and continue to live. A little over 20 years ago I was very ill. I was in the hospital and facing an undetermined future concerning life and my health. During that period I tried to make peace with God and the universe and said, “If you (God) get me through this battle with my health I will do something good for the world” After surgeries and during my recovery, I was given a jar of honey from a friend who never seemed to get sick. He said, “Here, take this and eat it. It will be good for you.” So, I took the honey and ate it. After several months during my recovery, I noticed I was feeling a lot better. I attributed my fortunate health to eating the raw honey and bee pollen. At one point, this thought of where this magical substance came from and where was it created crossed my mind. I realized it came from bees and nature. It was then a voice said, “Build the hives” After that voice commanded me and like a madman akin to Noah and his Ark, I spent the next several months building around 200 bee hives in my garage. I was told I was crazy and shouldn’t be doing this but I persisted and followed through with this vision. During the construction of the hives, I met a man who asked me about what I was building. I told him and then told him that I didn’t know where I would put all of these beehives. He looked at me and said, “I have a place in southern Ohio where you could place them” It was as if another piece of the puzzle just fell into place as so many pieces have during this journey. During the first installation of the very first beehives, I looked down into the home of these tiny but industrious little creatures and saw a light shining up from them and heard the sound of Angels that came from their wings all beating in unison. It was at that moment out in the woods alone with the bees that I knew my new purpose in life. It was to take care of the bees and provide them shelter and security. From there I developed a network of beehives across farms in Ohio and built this vision into an incredible reality. Along the way and during the first few years I freely gave away this golden nutrient that nature and the honeybees provided. I shared it with everyone that I could and told my story to anyone that would listen. Then one day, I met a woman who I gave a jar of honey to and as she reached into her purse looking for money to pay me. I said, “I don’t charge for the honey, it’s yours” She replied, “that’s not really a good idea, how will you continue to go on if you keep giving away your honey?’ That night I went home and thought about it. She was right, I was struggling to make this dream continue so I sat down and thought of the name, “The Honeyest One”. In a short while after that, I continued to talk with this woman who inspired me to create the business side of the dream and I began selling the honey at Farmer’s Markets and in small local shops. I can say without a doubt, divine intervention played a huge part of my journey. It has taken me places I never imagined existed and allowed me to meet people I never thought I would meet. Places like small family farms with generations of hard working people, and Farmer’s Markets with salt of the earth vendors who provide food and always try to make this world a better place. Since my first introduction to the glorious Honeybee, my life has been transformed and filled with positivity and love that I cherish each and every day. I appreciate all of the customers that eat the honey and pollen and return year after year to tell me how much they love the product and how healthy it makes them feel. And that woman that inspired me to create a business from all of this, well she is now my Queen.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Beekeeping quickly wakes you up to the reality of what you can and can’t control in this world. The challenge of giving up control to things in nature that know better than man has been the biggest challenge. Once I realized how intelligent Mother Nature was, it made it a lot easier to co-exist within the Honeybee’s realm. The weather, predators, and disease are sometimes difficult to deal with and combat as they can decimate the numbers of bees in a hive. Too warm of winters and the bees go out to forage for food that is not there during a winter in Ohio. Too many Varrao mites and a hive can collapse in less than a month. We as humans can help with some of these issues, but we don’t have control over all of them. Then there are things that man can control, like the pollution and pesticides that we poison our air, soil and water that are currently ruining our planet for future generations. The Honeybee is a very smart animal. It knows what to do and does it very efficiently. The Honeybee is the only animal on the planet that gives back more than it takes from it’s world during its lifetime. Think about that for a minute and think about the waste and destruction that we humans create on this precious planet.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Honeyest One?
We are beekeepers that sell raw honey and bee pollen. All of our products are pure, raw, unfiltered and natural. There is nothing artificial in any of our products. We also infuse our raw honey as well with many things that are healthy. We only use the purest forms of the ingredients. Things like ginger, cinnamon, garlic, hot pepper, lavender and lemon are just a few of the over one hundred infusions we have available. If we can’t grow the ingredients ourselves, we source them from organic and ethical farmers. In our local area, we are probably know for our incredible quality, customer service, and quick deliveries. Answering each phone call and replying to every email and text is just part of what people respond positively. During the different seasons throughout the year we also offer swarm removal and help beginner beekeepers with their hives. We also give presentations concerning honeybees in a variety of different formats to groups of people of all ages.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We would just like everyone to know our motto, “Everybody Love Everybody”. Yes, we took that from a movie quote, but it rings true with everything we try to do and hope it inspires others to do the same thing during their short stay on this big blue marble floating through the universe at a million miles per hour.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thehoneyestone.com/
- Instagram: @thehoneyestone
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHoneyestOne
