Our Story
Where is all started:
Flying Bee Ranch has been a family owned and operated apiary since 1999. Starting with just a few beehives, Flying Bee Ranch quickly grew to a medium-sized pollination company, managing over 500 colonies of bees. We are proud to be producing some of Oregon’s finest raw honeys thanks to the hard work of its founders, Wayne and Kathy Porter. In 2016, Flying Bee Ranch suffered a major loss with Wayne’s passing. In an effort to keep Flying Bee Ranch going strong, The Porter’s great nephew Jeremy Mitchell was recruited to the business.
Jeremy Mitchell, Beekeeper
2017 – We’re still working hard everyday to bring you the best raw honey in Oregon. Jeremy can be found most days working with the bees, delivering honey, or working in the Honey House at the farm. But Jeremy’s not the only worker bee at Flying Bee Ranch. Family is what makes Flying Bee Ranch such a special place. Jeremy’s partner Delsey greets visitors and manages our Honey Tasting Room, helps bottle honey, and makes sure we’re ready for the farmers’ market season. See our booth at the Salem Saturday Market March – October. Jeremy’s grandfather Ray can often be found building bee boxes, gifts sets, and catching bee swarms! Jeremy’s mother, Lynne and brother, Justin are always around for special events and helping as needed around the farm.
Flying Bee Ranch honeybees pollinating mustard
2020 – In the spring of 2020, the Flying Bee Ranch Co-op was formed featuring more than a dozen partnering local beekeepers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. This unique partnership allows us to feature other local honeys that have been given the Flying Bee Ranch stamp of approval. We inspect each apiary and extracting facility, and monitor for best beekeeping practices. Our honeys are traceable from hive to jar and never treated, blended, or ultra-filtered. Flying Bee Ranch is committed to sustainable beekeeping practices and ensuring our fellow beekeepers are too. Oregon is home to so many unique varietal honeys and we’re excited to be able to share them with you!
Today – Our Honey Tasting Room is open year-round Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm. It is perfect for the family, group of friends, and anyone looking to try more than a dozen local honey varieties. At Flying Bee Ranch, we offer more than just raw honey, we also produce other products from the hive including bee pollen, propolis, and honey comb. Visit us for more than just a honey sample. Sit down, relax, and enjoy the day. We love to get to know our customers and we love to talk bees!
#knowyourbeekeper