Cultivating Community: Nate’s Nectar & Davis Apiaries

Nathan and Erika Davis of rural DeGraff began keeping bees just as a hobby of Nate’s, then quickly it evolved into a more than 45,000-pound-per-year honey operation.

Nathan’s interest in bees started while in college through a local bee club. He learned the basics and before graduating from college he bought 4 nucs that quickly turned into 12 and the business has been growing ever since. (The term “nuc,” a shortened version of the term “nucleus colony,” most correctly refers to a small-sized hive in which a small colony of bees resides but also can be used to describe the small colony of bees itself.) After Nate started his own bees, the rest of the family quickly found roles within the company.

The Davis family includes Nathan and Erika Davis along with Nate’s parents, Tim and Emily Davis, and sisters, Jessica, Lauryn, and Marissa Davis. Together they manage Nate’s Nectar products from start to finish. Starting in the bees all the way to the final product, they have key roles each of them play to provide high-quality products for their customers. As a family, they operate Nate’s Nectar, their apiary, Davis Apiaries, LLC, and their 2000+ acre farm, Vel-Dale Farms.

Davis Apiaries, LLC is the bee operation side of this family-owned business. They sell 5-frame nucs every year to people replacing bees, growing, or starting out. Their nucs consist of 5 frames, 2-3 frames of brood, and 2-3 frames of food. Each spring they have nucs available for purchase. Davis Apiaries has 25 locations where their bees are located in 6 counties, including Logan County.

Products that Nate’s Nectar sells include raw honey, creamed honey, Beeswax candles, Beeswax body butter, Bee Healed salve, and chapsticks.

HONEY: is natural and raw, meaning nothing has been added to the honey. Raw honey is honey that is unprocessed. Nate’s Nectar does not heat or micro filter their honey to ensure that they produce top-quality raw honey, leaving all pollen and other good nutrients intact.
CREAMED HONEY: Nate’s Nectar Creamed Honey is our natural raw honey that has been mixed to create a spread at room temperature. It is great on pastries, fruits, crackers, or by itself! To ensure the quality of our product, all creamed honey is created in small batches. Creamed Honey has a two-year shelf life and there are no added preservatives. Creamed honey flavors include Blueberry, Caramel, Cinnamon, Maple, Orange, Original, Peach, Lemon & Red Raspberry.
BEESWAX CANDLES: Beeswax candles have amazing benefits which include a longer burn/melt time than paraffin candles, giving off a clean burn while purifying the air at the same time. The average burn time for the 4 oz tin is approximately 16+ hours when burned a couple of hours at a time. The candles are all hand-poured and created in small batches.
BEESWAX BODY BUTTERS: All-natural body butter made with our very own beeswax and scented with essential oils. With three key ingredients, it is perfect for people with skin sensitivities and is very moisturizing. To ensure top quality in their products, all body butters are hand poured and created in small batches. For ease of use, the body butters are stored in glide sticks that you simply push up or twist to have more product appear. Current scents include Eucalyptus Peppermint, Grapefruit Spearmint, Lavender Orange, Lemongrass Bergamont & Unscented.
BEE HEALED SALVE & CHAPSTICKS: All-natural healing salve made from our very own beeswax. This first-aid salve is great for burns, cuts, scraps, chapped lips, and cracked skin. A little goes a long way! To ensure top quality, all Bee Healed products are hand poured and created in small batches.

One of Nate’s Nectar’s main revenue streams is through wholesale platforms. Through these platforms, they have been able to sell to small businesses in every state in America, besides Hawaii. Their wholesale platforms have been a great way to connect with other small businesses across America and support each other.

Finding Nate’s Nectar products locally is easy. In Bellefontaine you can locate them at City Sweets & Creamery, in Huntsville you can find them at Cherokee Lane Grocery Store, at the Lake they are at Gathering Grounds and The Depot and in DeGraff at the Saucy Sow Farm Market. Of course, you can order online, as well.

Nate’s Nectar has an FDA Certified Kitchen outside of Bloom Center where all of its products are produced. This impressive facility is home to over 45,000 pounds of honey, where they produce all their products in-house, nothing is outsourced.

Listen to Nathan’s Story here:

For the first time, the Davis family shipped most of their bees to California in mid-November to pollinate almonds. The bees are set to be returned to the Davis family next week. While this has been a good way to build their bees up, the unknowns have them worried. Lots of things could have happened to the bees while in transport, or while in California.

Things are always changing and evolving at Nate’s Nectar. The family is currently working on adding apple-flavored creamed honey & hot flavored honey. They hope to offer the honey by mid-summer and the creamed honey this fall.

You can learn more about Nates Nectar and Davis Apiaries and order honey products at https://www.natesnectarandmore.com/.

Up Next on Cultivating Community: Shroyer Show Stock.