by: Wendy Weitzel for the Davis Farmers Market
For Doneice Trotter, it’s all about the hive. That may refer to her family’s buzzing bee boxes, or the community of customers and farmers she sees at the Davis Farmers Market.
Trotter owns Pure Honey in Winters. Her stepdad, Henry Harlan, is a seventh-generation Yolo County farmer who established Henry’s Bullfrog Bees in 2007. Doneice’s mom, Robin Harlan, started Pure Honey in 2009. Trotter took over the family apiary in 2010, when she was 26.
They’ve sold honey at the Davis market since 2011. “I love the community,” Trotter said, “The market is just something special. It’s such a happy place to be. The regulars, families that come every weekend. You really get attached to your customers.”
She said there’s a bond with her fellow sellers as well. “They kind of feel like my co-workers – the other farmers. We talk about our products and share recipes. I feel like I always learn something at the market.”
Their operation is unusual because they follow the bees through every step of the honey process. They care for the bees and hives, place them in orchards or fields, harvest the honey, and bottle and distribute the sweet, sticky nectar themselves.
Henry’s Bullfrog Bees is a pollination service, with about 1,700 hives placed all over Yolo County. Almonds are the major crop but it also services local row crops. They gather 500-1,000 pounds of honeyflow from orange groves, and place the bees in open areas for their best seller: wildflower honey.
“Wildflower honey is best for local allergies. Especially at the Davis Farmers Market, (customers) are coming for that local honey, so they can take care of their allergies,” Trotter said. “There’s a wide variety of pollens in there to help you build up your immunities.”
She said keeping the bees alive is her biggest challenge. “This year was another huge die-off,” with mites the biggest culprit. Drought is another concern, because bees need water. “If there’s none for flowers, there’s less for them to eat.”
This year, tariffs are one of the biggest tests. Cost increases forced Trotter to change Pure Honey’s jar style. The company has always used hexagon-shaped jars but the price went up about 30 cents apiece, not including the lids or labels, which also increased.
Her supplier’s stock became scarce when a large company, in anticipation of the tariffs, purchased most of the available hex jars. She buys one pallet at a time, where big companies may be able to afford to stock up and buy 10 or more. Each pallet has about 2,000 jars.
So, Pure Honey will soon be sold in round jars, which are the same price the old hex jars were. Trotter said she raised prices last year, and didn’t want to do it again.
Regardless, she’s “grateful that I get to do this every day with my family.”
She hopes everyone is looking out for the wellbeing of bees, which “are so important to the environment and our local food system.” Area residents can help by planting pollinator-friendly plants, and never spraying their yard with any pesticides that might harm bees.
You can find Pure Honey at the Davis Farmers Market on Saturdays.
Davis Farmers Market
Central Park, Fourth and C streets, Davis
Saturdays: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round
Wednesdays: 4 to 8 p.m. May through September for Picnic in the Park; 3 to 6 p.m. October through April
Pure Honey and Henry’s Bullfrog Bees
Find them at the Davis Farmers Market on Saturdays, rain or shine, and their products at the seasonal Sutter Davis and UC Davis farmers markets.
Products: Wildflower and orange blossom honeys; honey infused with lavender, cinnamon, habanero chilies, ginger, pumpkin spice or turmeric; roasted almond-topped honey and honey caramel.
Farm address: 28600 County Road 26, Winters
Website: Purehoneyca.com, bullfrogbees.com
Instagram: @Purehoneyca and @henrysbullfrogbees
Facebook: @henrysbullfrogbees (for both businesses)
