Over 50 Years of Beekeeping + Honey Making-Hungry Hill Farm

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Glenn Clayton Jr., Owner of Hungry Hill Farm, located in Shipman, VA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a family-run farm that specializes in raising honeybees. We sell pure, raw honey to the citizens of Virginia and all over the United States. We also sell bee supplies to small backyard beekeepers.

Tell us about yourself

My father started raising honeybees in 1964 as a hobby, and when I moved to Virginia in 1995, I started helping him with the bees in my free time. In 2005 when I had to medically retire from my job, I started working full-time for the farm. That's when I expanded the farm from a hobby apiary to a full-fledged business. My love of working with honeybees and providing a high-quality product to our customers is what motivates me to continually improve our business.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Our biggest accomplishment has been to not only keep our business going but to expand it year after year. We have gone from having five wholesale customers and selling at one farmers' market in 2005 to currently having over 100 wholesale customers and selling at three different farmer's markets at this time. If we had the staff, we could probably be selling at 5-6 farmer's markets.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

In our field of business, the hardest thing we have to deal with is keeping the bees alive and up to date with all the new pests and diseases that are affecting them. Here recently, we have also had trouble getting supplies needed for bottling our honey. Mainly our glass jars but a few other things as well.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

First off, make sure it's something you're passionate about and going to enjoy doing. If it is, follow your dream and give it a shot. Next, you got to work hard. Don't be afraid to ask for help. It's going to take time and investment to get you going, but if you provide a good product or service, customers will follow. Lastly is to always stay humble. Never take anything you have accomplished for granted because you could lose it at any time.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.hungryhillhoney.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HungryHillFarm

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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