Farm-To-Fork With Jorgensen Apiaries
This is part of a series of briefs that I wrote documenting Bon Appétit Management Company's Farm-To-Fork program.Jorgensen Apiaries - Bon Appétit Farm Brief
Walter Jorgensen, of Oberlin, Ohio, has always been interested in bees. His grandfather had a farm and Walter grew up around both bees and honey but various events and realities kept him from pursuing a career in beekeeping. One day in 1998, Walter and his wife Linda were walking through the bee pavilion at the Lorraine County fair when Walter expressed his interest in bees. To his surprise, Linda stated that shared his interest and that she thought that they should try their hand at beekeeping.
At that time, Walter was employed full-time as a molder in a steel foundry and he and Linda decided that they would try to keep a few hives as a hobby. They worked their hives for a few years, slowly increasing both their strength and their number. They began by giving their honey away to friends and family as gifts. When their hives started producing more honey than they could give away, Walter and Linda opened a stall at a few local farmers’ markets.
In the fall of 2000, Walter received a call from Gina Fusco, Director of Retail Foodservice for Bon Appétit at Oberlin College. Bon Appétit had just taken over the food service contract at Oberlin were attempting to source as many local products as possible through Farm-To-Fork. “The previous foodservice company had been prodded by the students into bringing in some local products,” Walter explains, “but Bon Appétit was really serious about sourcing locally; I was really amazed.“
Walter and Linda still considered themselves bee hobbyists at this time. “I was working on a business plan to grow and sell mushrooms,” Walter states, “but the call from Bon Appétit made me realize that I might be able to make a business out of our bee project if I were to apply myself to it. I started thinking about how much honey I was selling at the farmer’s market and I was stunned. I realized that if I was to really educate both the public and myself about the benefits of eating local honey, I could really push my hobby over the top.”
The first meeting with Bon Appétit went very well. “We weren’t really sure what to do with Walter’s honey,” says Fusco, “but I knew we could find a place for it. After asking around a bit, we decided that we could sell it in the on-campus convenience store.” The propagation of Walter’s honey throughout Oberlin College closely resembles the manner in which bees spread pollen. “I got a call from Gina,” Walter explains “and he/she told me that the students wanted to use the honey in their tea at the cafes. Then she called about a week later telling me that some of the chefs had found the honey and they wanted to use it in both as a condiment in the dining halls and as an ingredient in the kitchen. Within a few months, it was being used in nearly all of the dining halls and cooperatives on campus.”
In the winter of 2001, Walter lost his job at the foundry. Rather than despair over the fact that his career of over thirty years had just evaporated, Walter rejoiced that he was now a full-time beekeeper. He quickly found that the demand for his honey out stripped his production. “Linda and I had joined the Lorraine County Beekeepers Association when we first got started in 1998,” he says, “so we started sourcing the honey that we use for our flavored products and our honey butter from a few of the other small local producers.”
Over the following four years Walter and Linda increased their number of hives to forty, working diligently to produce as many varieties of honey as possible. “Depending on the nature of the weather,” he explains, “we can get Linden or Basswood Honey, Black Locust Honey, and a wide variety of Wildflower Honey. Not only are these varieties delicious, but they are a great way to build immunity to pollens.” Walter and Linda also recently opened their own store front where they sell their entire product line, which has been expanded to include jams and relishes as well as a full line of honey and beeswax products.
“We never would have considered becoming full-time beekeepers if we hadn’t been contacted by Bon Appétit, “Walter states, “it is amazing to me how serious they are about supporting local farmers. This year, 40% of our business will come from Bon Appétit; they have really pushed us over the top. I was fed up with being an employee, but it took me losing my job to get really serious about the bees. Now, I have a great business that supports not only my family but also the other small producers I work with. Linda and I are both very proud to be full-time apiasts and Bon Appétit farmers.”
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posted by Brian J. Kenny @ 10:15 PM
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