Hindu Hillbilly Honey is a family affair
Hindu Hillbilly's Cy Bay, Justin Bay, and Sujatha Bay take a break from work. Along with Justin's wife, Kavita, the family business makes several honey-based products. (Hindu Hillbilly courtesy photo)
Hindu Hillbilly’s Justin Bay holds a frame of honey comb. (Hindu Hillbilly courtesy photo)
A sampling of the products made by Rivulet Apiaries & Hindu Hillbilly Farms near Alberton. (Photo courtesy Hindu Hillbilly)
They have six legs and five eyes. They live between 122 and 152 days.
Flight speed has been recorded up to 20 miles per hour and the female (queen) can lay up to 2,000 eggs in a day. To make one pound of honey, they must gather nectar from two million flowers and fly about 90,000 miles – three times around the globe.
If working alone, the average bee will make only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
“If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live,” Albert Einstein said.
It indicates just how critical this insect is to the human race. Bringing this remarkable creature closer to home, this multiplies ten-fold for Hindu Hillbilly and Rivulet Apiaries who make honey from knapweed and clover. But the little bug doesn’t stop there.
“We have a honey skincare line, and the soaps and honey body oils sell well. We also make beeswax luminaries that people love. We make everything right here on the farm in Rivulet,” Kavita Bay said. “We use a lot of herbs and wild botanicals from the surrounding area too. Everything we make is free of synthetic chemicals and preservatives.”
After Kavita Bay and her husband, Justin, started the business, they brought their children into it at an early age.
“I think farming and ag naturally lend themselves to the whole family participating. Both of us wanted our kids to learn about living sustainably, growing food, and to have an appreciation for the outdoors. Plus, there is a lot of work to do when you are in ag and the kids simply had to help because we needed them.”
As for the name of the business, it originated when Kavita and Justin wed.
“When my husband and I got married, someone said we were having a Hindu Hillbilly wedding. Hindu, because I am a second gen Asian-Indian, and hillbilly because Justin is originally from Tennessee. I suppose the name stuck,” Kavita said with a grin.
Self-taught beekeepers, Kavita admits it has a steep learning curve. “We were hoping to start some local classes on beekeeping, but the current situation has changed a lot for us at the moment, so now we are trying to regroup and adjust.”
She’s grateful for the community support and admits that it’s an amazing feeling when the folks appreciate what they are doing. With festivals and markets being cancelled, delayed and limited they are building new avenues for revenue.
Shoppers will find many of their products at Darlow’s Quality Foods in Superior and Valley Market in Alberton.
Free shipping from their website www.hinduhillbilly.com is another value-added incentive to help local businesses stay afloat during these troubled times.
