Honey in a champagne flute? With a mission to “provide pure, rare delectable honeys and luxurious hive products while educating people about the wonders of the honeybee,” The Savannah Bee Company is making the comb chic.
The store is divided into three sections: the honey bar, a children’s play loft and a film screening area in the back. The honey bar offers an array of beverages from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea. Try the signature Honey Latte or the Mint Julep sipper. Snacks are currently limited, but they do serve honeycomb over biscuit. A larger than life skep, or beehive, sits on a platform in the center of the room. Children can climb inside and play with bee-inspired toys or read educational bee books. Educating children is a high priority for Savannah Bee; they offer demonstrations at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center through the Savannah school system. Educating adults is important too. Savannah Bee has a small film theater that will eventually host bee documentaries and guest speakers from local chefs to wildlife activists.
Savannah Bee has five signature twenty-ounce honey flutes: organic Acacia, raw Black Sage, raw Tupelo, Orange Blossom and raw Sourwood. These five honeys do not crystallize because of the respective flowers bees take nectar from to make each honey. Two honeys that do crystallize, Winter White and Raspberry, are offered in hexagonal jars. Winter White honey comes from a wildflower that is the closest flower to the North Pole in Finland. The name comes from tasters’ reactions: it feels like snow melting in your mouth.
Raw honey and organic honey cannot be used interchangeably in the bee world. It is near impossible to become organic certified in the U.S. for honey production, but the U.S. has recognized a honey from northern Italy, organic Acacia. Raw in the honey world means honey is not heated. Rather, the comb is pulled straight from the bee box.
The two honeys made in Georgia are Sourwood and Tupelo. Sourwood comes from the northern region of the state by the Appalachian Mountains where Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina meet. It has a rusty red coloring and is spicier than the other honeys. Tupelo comes from southern Georgia and is a rare, internationally renowned honey. This light, buttery honey is Savannah Bee’s primary, favorite honey and this year it is said that Tupelo “is the best it’s ever been and is closest to the original Tupelo nectar.”
The bottle design was made to help consumers rethink honey. Most people store their honey in a pantry (especially if they have a plastic bear) and by doing this they forget about the honey. It will eventually crystallize and will most likely be thrown away. Savannah Bee wants to curb waste as well as increase honey usage in cooking. “If it’s beautiful, people will put it on their counters instead of hide it.”
Savannah Bee takes pride in environmental responsibility. All the glass flutes are made from recycled glass. The cups at the bar are made from corn and when plastic is absolutely necessary they use the highest level of recycled content. Even their bees are healthy. Savannah Bee Company bees eat a balanced, monitored diet and do not feed on chemically engineered flowers.
In addition to bottled honey, Savannah Bee sells bath and body products – all honey inspired, none animal tested – such as honey hand soap, beeswax hand cream, royal jelly body butter, honey lip balm, nail salve and mint julep body wash. Honeycombs are also sold in 12-16 ounce hand-cut squares.
The Savannah Bee Company is located on 104 W. Broughton St, and can be reached online at www.savannahbee.com.
