Honey Dat’s All was more than just a family honey business; it’s a story of dedication, community, and the sweet rewards of hard work. I interviewed my cousin Sally Loeffelholz, whose grandpa and dad owned the business. Grandpa Henry was my great-grandpa, and Sally’s dad Gerald was my great-uncle. “Grandpa was a hard-working man who liked to stay busy,” Sally said. It all began with my great-grandpa Henry, who started keeping bees on his 40-acre farm in Potosi. Henry and his wife, Evelyn, raised six kids, tended cows, pigs, chickens, and dogs, and his bees.“Just enough to survive off the land,” said Sally.
In the backyard, Henry probably had around 40 hives. Grandpa Henry wasn’t just a farmer and beekeeper; he was also a coon and fox hunter, but the bees kept him busy year-round. Evelyn used the honey he harvested to bake treats for the family. Being able to live off the land meant they didn't have to leave or buy items from the stores.
The honey business passed to Henry’s son, my great-uncle Gerald, who carried on the family tradition, though with fewer hives, about half as many as his father. Gerald kept the craft alive until 1957, when he stopped making honey and turned his attention to tractor pulling. The legacy did not end. Today, my cousins manage nearly 20 hives under the family business, Honey Dat’s All, continuing the craft that has thrived for six generations.
This is a special part of history that runs in my family, and it means a lot to me that I’m able to help share the story so others can hear it. It’s not just something from the past; it’s something that’s still important today. Today, the business is locally run by my cousins; they have 20 beehives now on their own land. They have their own tank to let the honey sit. As a family, they bottle, put stickers on, and add the final touches together in their home. Being able to talk about the story gives me a sense of pride, and I hope that by sharing it, more people can understand it, connect with it, and even help support it.
Looking back, the family business really shows how much products have changed over time. Grandpa Henry used to package honey in one-gallon tin cans with big, bold labels, and he would sell it for just 38 cents a pound. He sold this locally around Potosi. Product labels were more colorful and filled with shapes and nature.
Now, things are so different. The family uses jars that are smaller and less detailed, sometimes even shaped like little bears, and the labels are a lot more modern and simple. Even what we find in stores are more simple and vague. Honey isn’t just something you buy; it’s something that’s branded and presented in a whole new way. The price has changed a lot, too, with honey now selling for around eight dollars a pound.
Looking back now really shows how much not only the business but the times themselves have changed, and it makes our family appreciate where we started even more.