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>> Good afternoon
ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Bob Edmonson.
That's my wife Dana Edmondson.
And we have the great privilege,
and even honor, along with our
partner Jerry Lupo to own and
operate really a little piece of
Georgia history.
Ziegler Honey Company is in
fact the oldest honey company
in Georgia.
Ziegler’s has been packing
honey in south Georgia
since the early 1800s.
Registered with the Secretary of
State of Georgia in 1935 and
since that time we've been
packing pure raw unfiltered
honey and we're happy to
continue that tradition today.
We're delighted to present
to you this afternoon
Georgia Wildflower Honeycomb.
As the name, implies it's
honeycomb that the bees produce
from Georgia wildflower.
Now more specifically, our
honey is produced in and
around the Okefenokee Swamp
in what I call the honey belt.
If you take State Highway 84
from Brunswick and trace it
across the state, that's about
where 85% the honey of this
state comes from.
It's not an accident.
It's because of the flora and
fauna that exist in the largest
swamp in the United States
- the Okefenokee.
And then in addition to that
we have a tremendous literally
millions and millions of managed
timber forest which are a desert
for many things except for a
little gallberry bush that makes
it a Garden of Eden
for honeybees.
Those two combined allow
us to produce honeycomb.
Now bees make honeycomb in
the same way that they make
honey but producing the wax
and drawing it out and more
specifically as you look at the
comb as it goes around - and
honey you're welcome to show it
to them - you’ll notice that
it's drawn full and then its
cap white on each side.
That's what makes it unusual.
In fact, 85% of the honeycomb
in the United States every year
comes from south Georgia.
It's because you can't
produce it other place
Now it's not that honey bees
are producing comb but they
aren't able to produce it
with those white caps.
In order to do that you have
to have a tremendously strong
bloom for a tremendously
long time.
So Georgia is uniquely
gifted again because of
the Okefenokee Swamp and
because the timber forest
to be able to produce
this crop.
It's truly an ambassador for
Georgia being exported to China,
being exported to South Korea,
being exported to Europe and
around the Middle East.
In fact, this December we were
contacted; China's really kind
of turned onto this thing
in the last couple years.
They bought every last bit
of honeycomb that there
existed in south Georgia getting
ready for Chinese New Year.
The exporter who I talk to,
who's out of Los Angeles and
came to this country from China
looking for this, they just
learned of this crop.
Now what you may or may not know
is that China is the largest
producer of honey in the world
but they can't make honeycomb.
Georgia makes honeycomb.
So – honey would you take
them around and let them
look at the product there.
It is unique; it's not unique in
the sense that bees make it but
to be able to make it in that
thickness in that quality,
that's what it is.
You'll notice that in
the packaging we chose
to go very simple.
What we're trying to do is
allow people have plenty
of visibility to see
the product itself.
Obviously identify that
to them but at this is
all about the product.
People who appreciate what
it is will certainly want
to grab it off the shelves.
One of the things we're hoping
to highlight as a result of this
is bee keepers are walking away
from this crop because it is
very labor intensive
and it's very high-risk.
You can make three strained
honey crops in the period of
time that you can make
one crop of comb honey.
Very high risk; if you have
a rain at the wrong time,
the bees are eating your crop
versus making more of it.
So we hope you enjoy it.
If you have any questions,
I'd be happy to answer
those at this time.
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College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences
Center for Agribusiness and
Economic Development
Office of Communications
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