GloryBee Selected as Finalist in Bold Steps Award Program

GloryBee is honored to be a finalist in the Bold Steps award program! The award is presented each year at the annual State of the City address to a company that operates with a triple bottom line philosophy. That is, businesses that are financially successful and environmentally and socially responsible. You can read more about the Bold Steps Award program here: http://www.eugene-or.gov/boldsteps

We are extremely humbled to have our name on the list of finalists and would like to thank the mayor, the City of Eugene, and BRING Recycling!

GloryBee is honored to be a finalist in the Bold Steps award program! The award is presented each year at the annual State of the City address to a company that operates with a triple bottom line philosophy. That is, businesses that are financially successful and environmentally and socially responsible. You can read more about the Bold Steps Award program here: http://www.eugene-or.gov/boldsteps

We are extremely humbled to have our name on the list of finalists and would like to thank the mayor, the City of Eugene, and BRING Recycling!

GloryBee Partners with PCC Natural Markets to Help Save the Bee

Eugene, Ore. – GloryBee, a family-owned natural foods company, expanded its sustainability efforts in 2012 by launching its “Save the Bee” initiative, a program dedicated to increasing bee research and education to combat Colony Collapse Disorder.

Honey bee pollination is directly linked to the success of our food supply, as they pollinate one in every four bites we consume, and with dwindling populations our food supplies will suffer. In efforts to improve the conditions of the honey bee, GloryBee sourced more local, organic and fair-trade products which translated to 12,120,320 pounds of organic products sold in 2012.

GloryBee’s 2012 Sustainability Report, released earlier this week, details the company’s progress in 11 declared areas of focus for the year, including: distribution, energy, climate change, water, waste, packaging, labor, and governance.

“For as long as we can remember, we have worked hard to produce, source and provide natural foods and products, to conserve natural resources and share our bounty with others. So when our parents started this business in 1975, it came naturally to all of us to conserve precious resources and give back to our community, customers and planet,” from Alan Turanski, GloryBee Vice President.

For more information on GloryBee and to access the 2012 Sustainability Report, go to: GloryBee.com or http://bit.ly/GBSustain.Eugene, Ore. – GloryBee, a family-owned natural foods company, expanded its sustainability efforts in 2012 by launching its “Save the Bee” initiative, a program dedicated to increasing bee research and education to combat Colony Collapse Disorder.

Honey bee pollination is directly linked to the success of our food supply, as they pollinate one in every four bites we consume, and with dwindling populations our food supplies will suffer. In efforts to improve the conditions of the honey bee, GloryBee sourced more local, organic and fair-trade products which translated to 12,120,320 pounds of organic products sold in 2012.

GloryBee’s 2012 Sustainability Report, released earlier this week, details the company’s progress in 11 declared areas of focus for the year, including: distribution, energy, climate change, water, waste, packaging, labor, and governance.

“For as long as we can remember, we have worked hard to produce, source and provide natural foods and products, to conserve natural resources and share our bounty with others. So when our parents started this business in 1975, it came naturally to all of us to conserve precious resources and give back to our community, customers and planet,” from Alan Turanski, GloryBee Vice President.

For more information on GloryBee and to access the 2012 Sustainability Report, go to: GloryBee.com or http://bit.ly/GBSustain.

GloryBee Partners with PCC Natural Markets to Help Save the Bee

GloryBee was featured in the October issue of PCC Natural Markets Sound Consumer magazine. The article includes the work GloryBee and PCC Markets are doing to help save the bee. Along with discussing the potential causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, the article offers several ideas and resources to help you join the fight to help save the bee.

Click here to read the articleGloryBee was featured in the October issue of PCC Natural Markets Sound Consumer magazine. The article includes the work GloryBee and PCC Markets are doing to help save the bee. Along with discussing the potential causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, the article offers several ideas and resources to help you join the fight to help save the bee.

Click here to read the article

GloryBee Wins Healthiest Employers Award

On Friday, October 11, GloryBee was honored with a Portland Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers of Oregon award for 2013.

Each year the Business Journal honors companies for their efforts to improve employee health, with 60 recipients this year. The luncheon was held at the Hilton Hotel grand ballroom following a morning of enlightening speakers and panel discussions. GloryBee was recognized in the 100 – 499 employee category.

GloryBee takes great pride in receiving this award as we know our employees are the foundation of our company. We offer training, high safety standards, performance evaluations, and generous benefits in order to foster their health and well-being.On Friday, October 11, GloryBee was honored with a Portland Business Journal’s Healthiest Employers of Oregon award for 2013.

Each year the Business Journal honors companies for their efforts to improve employee health, with 60 recipients this year. The luncheon was held at the Hilton Hotel grand ballroom following a morning of enlightening speakers and panel discussions. GloryBee was recognized in the 100 – 499 employee category.

GloryBee takes great pride in receiving this award as we know our employees are the foundation of our company. We offer training, high safety standards, performance evaluations, and generous benefits in order to foster their health and well-being.

Aunt Patty’s Conversion Chart

Cutting down refined sugar in your diet? Great! You’ve taken the first step to living a longer healthy life!

But do you know how much agave nectar replaces a cup of sugar? Can you use coconut sugar for canning? How much coconut oil should you use in place of butter?

Get answers to these common questions with Aunt Patty’s Conversion chart. Download a copy and add it to your recipe book today! Click here to read.

Alan’s Bee Chronicles-Checking Up on the Bees

I decided to check on the bees after I completed the third API VAR treatment two weeks ago and feeding the bees a vinegar sugar syrup. I was curious about the mite kill and I wanted to feed them more vinegar sugar syrup.

All three of the hives look fairly healthy, the queens in all the hives are laying eggs and the honey storage looks pretty good. The hive I caught earlier this year is probably the weakest of the hives. I'm going to look at increasing the bee count going into fall, so I'll continue to feed them sugar syrup for a few more weeks. I also put some of the LeFore Essential Oil Patties onto each of the hives in between the bottom brood chamber and the top brood chamber.I decided to check on the bees after I completed the third API VAR treatment two weeks ago and feeding the bees a vinegar sugar syrup. I was curious about the mite kill and I wanted to feed them more vinegar sugar syrup.

Quartz: Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought

Todd Woody at Quartz.com has a great article on the causes of CCD. This is near mandatory reading for beekeepers or anybody concerned with our disappearing pollinators.

[T]he mysterious mass die-off of honey bees that pollinate $30 billion worth of crops in the US has so decimated America’s apis mellifera population that one bad winter could leave fields fallow. Now, a new study has pinpointed some of the probable causes of bee deaths and the rather scary results show that averting beemageddon will be much more difficult than previously thought.

CCDScientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition. But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.

When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite called Nosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite.

Most disturbing, bees that ate pollen contaminated with fungicides were three times as likely to be infected by the parasite. Widely used, fungicides had been thought to be harmless for bees as they’re designed to kill fungus, not insects, on crops like apples.

Click here to read Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought

GloryBee Donates to OSU Bee Lab

GloryBee Honey and Aunt Patty’s brands donate 1% of annual retail sales revenue to "Save the Bee" programs and “Healthy living” initiatives.

Bees not only provide us with delicious honey and hive products, they also pollinate more than one-third of our food crops.

Colony Collapse Disorder, insect diseases, genetically modified organisms and other issues affecting bee health, add to the decline of bee populations. As part of our mission to support ongoing education about these important issues, GloryBee works closely with the Oregon State University Bee Lab, and other apiary associations across the nation to facilitate education about the care of bees.

GloryBee recently donated a check for $10,000 to the OSU Bee lab in order to help support their research into combating bee diseases, nutrition concerns, parasites, genetic problems and many other issues linked to Colony Collapse Disorder. This research will help commercial and backyard beekeepers support healthy hives in light of the complex problems facing honey bees today.

Beekeeping has been at the heart of GloryBee from its inception, as it was a beekeeping class that our founder, Dick Turanski, held at Lane Community College that launched his business. Dick’s first students became his first beekeeping customers and this natural relationship founded on the love of bees and honey continues at the core of GloryBee today. Supporting the OSU Bee Lab makes great sense as it offers GloryBee a way to continue to foster communication and help educate both novice and experienced beekeepers in the methods and craft of healthy beekeeping.

As a company dedicated to educating people about healthy living, nutrition is at the heart of our mission. Choosing a diverse diet of fresh food sources is only made possible through the hard work and pollination of bees. We understand that honey bee colonies can only thrive if we support more diverse sources of flowering plants in our landscape. By supporting the research and work of the OSU Bee Lab, we know honey bees in the Pacific Northwest will have a dedicated team lobbying for their survival.GloryBee Honey and Aunt Patty’s brands donate 1% of annual retail sales revenue to "Save the Bee" programs and “Healthy living” initiatives.

Bees not only provide us with delicious honey and hive products, they also pollinate more than one-third of our food crops.

Colony Collapse Disorder, insect diseases, genetically modified organisms and other issues affecting bee health, add to the decline of bee populations. As part of our mission to support ongoing education about these important issues, GloryBee works closely with the Oregon State University Bee Lab, and other apiary associations across the nation to facilitate education about the care of bees.

GloryBee recently donated a check for $10,000 to the OSU Bee lab in order to help support their research into combating bee diseases, nutrition concerns, parasites, genetic problems and many other issues linked to Colony Collapse Disorder. This research will help commercial and backyard beekeepers support healthy hives in light of the complex problems facing honey bees today.

Beekeeping has been at the heart of GloryBee from its inception, as it was a beekeeping class that our founder, Dick Turanski, held at Lane Community College that launched his business. Dick’s first students became his first beekeeping customers and this natural relationship founded on the love of bees and honey continues at the core of GloryBee today. Supporting the OSU Bee Lab makes great sense as it offers GloryBee a way to continue to foster communication and help educate both novice and experienced beekeepers in the methods and craft of healthy beekeeping.

As a company dedicated to educating people about healthy living, nutrition is at the heart of our mission. Choosing a diverse diet of fresh food sources is only made possible through the hard work and pollination of bees. We understand that honey bee colonies can only thrive if we support more diverse sources of flowering plants in our landscape. By supporting the research and work of the OSU Bee Lab, we know honey bees in the Pacific Northwest will have a dedicated team lobbying for their survival.

Alan’s Bee Chronicles – Looking forward to harvest season!

Just a quick update on my hives. Nearly every hive is doing well and we’re seeing some great honey production. I’m really looking forward to harvest season and I will be using GloryBee’s new “Honey Harvesting Kit” which you can purchase here.

In addition, one hive had 2 queens on the same frame. One was clearly mated and laying!Just a quick update on my hives. Nearly every hive is doing well and we’re seeing some great honey production. I’m really looking forward to harvest season and I will be using GloryBee’s new “Honey Harvesting Kit” which you can purchase here.

GloryBee ♥’s Market of Choice

GloryBee was recently recognized by the Market of Choice blog for our Save the Bee Efforts. The article talks a bit about the history of GloryBee and how Market of Choice customers can help Save the Bee! Check out a snippet below and be sure to read the entire article by clicking here.

"Did you know you can do something sweet by buying something sweet at Market of Choice? Here’s how: just buy one of the many foods you already love in the bulk department from local company GloryBee. The company donates a portion of the annual retail sales of all GloryBee and Aunt Patty’s brands products you find in our stores to social initiatives, including a “Save the Bee” initiative..."

Click here to read the whole article.GloryBee was recently recognized by the Market of Choice blog for our Save the Bee Efforts. The article talks a bit about the history of GloryBee and how Market of Choice customers can help Save the Bee! Check out a snippet below and be sure to read the entire article by clicking here.

"Did you know you can do something sweet by buying something sweet at Market of Choice? Here’s how: just buy one of the many foods you already love in the bulk department from local company GloryBee. The company donates a portion of the annual retail sales of all GloryBee and Aunt Patty’s brands products you find in our stores to social initiatives, including a “Save the Bee” initiative..."

Click here to read the whole article.

Save the Bee, Because They Pollinate Most of What We Ate This Week!

What did you eat this week? Here’s a short list of the meals we had that just wouldn’t have been the same without bees to pollinate the crop:

Coffee with steamed Almond milk; The Almond crop is almost entirely pollinated by bees. Bye bye delicious healthy low fat milk alternative. Also bye bye the honey we use to add extra sweetness.

Quinoa salad with onions, spinach, avocados, cucumbers and tomatoes. Delicious, healthy. Without bees the onions, avocados, and cucumbers would not be on our plate.

Tacos with guacamole; Did we mention no Avocados , so no guacamole?

Apple crumble; Apples are pollinated by bees.

Pumpkin Pie; Pumpkins are pollinated by bees.

Blueberry Muffins; Not without bees.  Nor could you have blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, or raisin (grapes). Your plain muffin may be delicious with jam, but what jam is left? Marmalade? Oranges are pollinated by bees, so none of that. Honey? Can’t have honey without bees.

Cranberry Sauce; Cranberries are reliant on bees.

Broccoli Bacon Salad; without bees there would be no broccoli on our plate, so it would just be a bacon salad.

Alan’s Bee Chronicles – Catching a swarm

I recently caught a swarm for my friend Wally. A local neighbor boy Dillon who is a friend of our son's John and Eli joined us in the rescue. Dillon used to be afraid of bees but since we have some hives in our backyard he has warmed up to bees and beekeeping. Dillon decided he wanted to suit-up and help catch the swarm! We successfully captured the swarm and transported it across town to its new home.

We often get calls at GloryBee from people who have run across swarms and don’t know what to do with them. We normally refer them to our local beekeeping chapter, the Lane County Beekeepers Association. If you see any swarms, a quick Google search will normally turn up a local beekeeping association that should be able to help.

If you'd like to hive the swarm yourself, that is also an option! You can read our swarm guide by clikcing here.I recently caught a swarm for my friend Wally. A local neighbor boy Dillon who is a friend of our son's John and Eli joined us in the rescue. Dillon used to be afraid of bees but since we have some hives in our backyard he has warmed up to bees and beekeeping. Dillon decided he wanted to suit-up and help catch the swarm! We successfully captured the swarm and transported it across town to its new home.