AW | PROFILES
A Sweet Life
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watting them away from the picnic watermelon. Laughing at the dog trying to trap them in her mouth. Getting stung in the armpit (that’s mine). We all have memories of encounters with bees. Some are wondrous—‘what are they doing in that flower, mommy?’ Some are painful— ‘Ooooooouuuucccchhhhh... something stung me, daddy!’ But one of Paul Luthi’s first memories of bees, specifically honey bees, is a precious reminder of a man he loved and respected. “I had a grandfather who kept bees on a small scale. I remember seeing his bee boxes building up and being fascinated with bumble bees. I’d catch them in a jar and let them go.” Thus began Luthi’s love affair with honey bees. In his 20s, he got a job with
Behind the Scenes With Three Bears Honey Writer: Patricia Carlson | 5foot20 Design lounge
a commercial beekeeper and began to run a few hives of his own. It was just a hobby to start, but once he got a taste of the sweet life, Luthi knew he wanted to build a career with his bees. “They’re just fascinating little bugs. To watch them work and be able to work out in nature with the fresh air and sounds of nature and watch the bees do their thing. There is a lot of freedom with it.” For the last eight years, Luthi, his wife Lori, and one of his four sons, Travis, have been gathering and selling honey through their familyowned business, Three Bears Honey Company. This year, they had hundreds of hives scattered throughout Clay and Cass Counties, mostly in fields filled with sweet clover, wildflowers, and basswood flower. lori luthi
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“We look for areas where there are juicy flowers for them,” Luthi said. “A lot of areas where it’s just wheat and corn don’t do much for them.” The Minnesota average honey surplus per hive is about 85 pounds, and Luthi hopes to meet or exceed that each year. Three Bears Honey Company sells its harvested honey in various quantities, both filtered and raw, to area supermarkets and health food stores. Lori also makes homemade beeswax candles that are sold in jars or as tapers, votives, and pillars. “I did a little bit of candle making back in junior high school just for fun. It started up again about five years ago,” Lori Luthi said. “I do it all in my kitchen. Hopefully one day I’ll have a little room where I can do this more.” If you think it sounds like a lot of work, it is. travis and paul LUTHI