In February, I opened a one-of-a-kind, bee- and honey-centric boutique in Naples named Grand Central Honey. Everything in the store is dedicated to the amazing contributions honeybees make to our world by pollinating our food sources – over one-third of what we eat is dependent on the work of these busy (female!) pollinators.
We have discovered that a lot of people have never experienced the taste of true, raw, pure honey, perhaps only trying one or two from a grocery store, which may have been heated, adulterated, or otherwise processed. There is a huge problem with this type of “fake” honey being transshipped by China through other countries… It is a multi-million-dollar problem when it ends up here on grocers’ shelves because of its ridiculously low wholesale price, impacting artisan apiaries’ opportunities to break into the retail world.
A Unique Boutique
Grand Central Honey vets each brand we carry to ensure our customers are buying pure honey. We offer our visitors the opportunity to taste any honey, sauce, and other products at our Bee Bar. There is such a difference in taste, and people are always very pleasantly surprised.
We showcase and sell over thirty-five brands and well over one hundred flavors and infusions of artisan raw, pure, unadulterated honey from beekeepers around the world, as well as those native to regions of the U.S. and from local farms. While there are other stores that center on honey, most strictly market one beekeeper’s brand or varietal of honey. There are also other retailers that have a wide selection, but the customer cannot taste it before buying.
Tasting honey can be exciting, too! Producers can infuse the honey with a wide variety of delicious flavors, such as bourbon, chocolate, cinnamon, and Carolina reaper peppers (yikes!), and it is fun to discover the varietals based on the terroir – the region and environment—of the blossoms the bees pollinate. It is strikingly similar to tasting fine wines.
What’s in a Name?
I took Grand Central Honey’s name from Grand Central Terminal – a wide variety of people in the station are there from all over the world, just like our products. We have an ever-changing selection of honeys, so the store is never static. That is how we encourage our guests to keep expanding their honey horizons. We also emphasize the bountiful benefits of honey, and we carry honey tonics and salves that are frequently recommended by organic and other practitioners for healing, wound care, treatment of allergies, and health maintenance.
We also carry bee- and honey-centric gifts, candles, books, skincare products, pet items and treats, Christmas ornaments, tonics, skincare, fragrances, and jewelry, among other bee delights! People walk in and are shocked to see the narrow yet deep singularity of our merchandise—there is nothing here that is not related to bees or honey.
There is a relaxing, friendly, and warm vibe that makes people comfortable and ready to have a great interactive experience. In addition to The Bee Bar, where we serve mead (honey wine) and do honey tasting, we have a virtual hive and a selfie room where guests can take photos of themselves in front of a neon crown and wings, thus making themselves queen – or king—bees!
I invite you to visit Grand Central Honey and experience a truly interactive, informative, and delicious experience with some fun tastings. We are located in Naples at 4444 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 2, and open 11 am to around 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Hope to see you soon!
Please check out our website for more info, in addition to many photos of the store: http://grandcentralhoney.com.
We also are very active on Instagram and Facebook.