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Miller's American Honey
Nephi Ephraim Miller, founder of Miller's Honey Company, was born in November, 1873, in a little log cabin in Cache Valley, Utah. Nephi had had an interest in bees and their miraculous production of honey ever since he was a child and had ventured into the woods with some friends. There they found a hollowed-out log swarming with bees. As he and his friends chewed the sweet honeycomb, Nephi got a taste of what would someday bring him great rewards.
Although Nephi followed in his father's footsteps and became a farmer, his curiosity for beekeeping never ebbed. Several of his farming friends in the Cache Valley had colonies of bees and he would watch as they worked with their hives. In the fall of 1894, Nephi convinced his father to let him trade five bags of leftover oats for seven colonies of bees. From these seven colonies grew a large-scale business that has passed on through the Miller family for three generations.
In 1907, while on a trip to Southern California to gather more information on processing beeswax, Nephi inadvertently invented a new method of beekeeping. He noticed bees still gathering nectar, even though it was December. He realized that if he were to transport his bees to sunny California during the Utah winters, he would not only avoid a heavy loss of bees from the freezing temperatures, but yield two crops of honey each year. In the winter of 1908, the first trainload of bees was sent south on a "test flight," giving birth to Miller's "traveling bees".
Nephi E. Miller was a great pioneer, and became known as the "Henry Ford" of the beekeeping industry. He was the first beekeeper to produce a million-pound crop of honey, yet he did not hoard his trade secrets and knowledge; he shared it all with anyone interested. It was his desire for everyone to be successful and prosperous; for that, the father of migratory beekeeping was loved, respected, and today remembered by many. Nephi left a legacy of honesty and hard work. His motto: "By industry we thrive."
Now in its second century, Miller’s American Honey continues to thrive as part of a global business who also has a long family legacy, Groeb Farms, Inc. The addition of Miller's to the Groeb organization will complement Groeb’s current locations in Onsted, MI, Belleview, FL and Baytown, TX, providing customers the opportunity for national coverage. Customers will continue to receive the same quality products and fine customer service we think they have grown to expect from both organizations.