Made in Michiana: Laney Family Honey Co.
This week's Made in Michiana takes ABC 57 to North Liberty. Nestled on a quiet farm, outside of town, lies Laney Family Honey Company.
That's where a beekeeping hobby grew into a small business over 30 years ago. And the Laneys have been bottling up the sticky, sweet stuff ever since.
It's hard to imagine life without syrupy, sweet honey. Let alone how many bees it would take to give us all we would ever want or need.
“They work six weeks. They only make about a teaspoon of honey. That’s their whole lifetime,” Laney Honey's Linda Laney said.
These little bees spend their short lives working to do just that, though.
“A good hive can make about one-hundred pounds of honey every six to eight weeks,” Laney said.
These hives are tucked away on the Laney Family farm. They produce honey from late Spring, into Summer and through early Fall.
“We only have six months of production,” Laney said.
Almost all of Laney Honeys come from hives in Indiana and Michigan.
“The agriculture belt is unlike anywhere else in the world,” Laney said.
She says when her parents moved to Indiana from Philadelphia back in the 1970s, they knew they had struck a honey-making gold mine.
“The honey here tasted so much better than from the mountainous area. We just have good soil,” Laney said.
That soil is home to a wide range of plants.
“We have such a great abundance of great nectar and plants in this area,” Laney said.
And those plants are why the Laney family is able to offer a dozen different varieties of honey. Each has its own unique color, taste and flavor.
Everyone has their favorites. But the sticky stuff won't only silence your sweet tooth, over time, this raw honey can alleviate allergy symptoms, too.
“You want to eat the honey that was produced at the time your allergy is. So if your allergies are now, you want Spring blossom honey. It’s from Spring nectar,” Laney said.
Laney Honey employs about a handful of people, depending on the season.
Dianne Rerick has been bottling for Laney for about 25 years.
“It’s been a perfect job for a busy mom. But now I’m a busy grandma,” Rerick said.
Each jar is bottled with skill and ease. And they are all capped, sealed and labeled by hand for a sugary, sweet syrup that's made in Michiana.
For more information check out Laney Family Honey's website and Facebook page.
If you have any ideas for our future Made in Michiana features, please shoot us an email at [email protected].