Women of Achievement
julia
kopacz he Apex that Julia Kopacz remembers from her childhood is a different town than the one she currently lives in. She recalls walking with her mother and getting lost in woods near their hog and cattle farm, on land that has long since been underwater: B. Everett Jordan Lake was filled in spring 1982, submerging roads, homes, graveyards and farms nearby Julia’s family homestead beneath its surface. Julia graduated from Randolph Community College and spent a few years working at the North Carolina Zoo before leaving her native state for Florida, where she found a job as a horticulturist at theme parks like Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, Epcot and others. She returned to the land of the pines a handful of years later to care for her father when he became ill. After he died, Julia’s mother gifted her a beekeeping course, nudging her to carry on the practice Julia’s father and great-grandmother had enjoyed. “I was not intrigued by the thought of keeping bees at all,” Julia laughs. But she took the class to humor her mother and quickly had a change of heart. “I started watching the bees,” Julia says. “I would sit in front of the hive – a lot of beekeepers do this when they first get their bees – and I fell in love with it.” Julia’s interest in apiculture – the rearing of bees to procure honey and other hive products – piqued after she connected with Chatham County Beekeepers Association and met her mentor, Lori Hawkins. “The mentor part was essential for me,” Julia says, having since mentored many aspiring beekeepers herself. “Now, I’m very involved 62
C H AT H A M M AG A Z I N E
If everyone gave just a portion of whatever they have – whether it be finances, experience, time or talents – to help others, we could create a very different community: a thriving one with less need and more hope.
in the community of beekeepers in Chatham, helping to provide their hands-on education.” Julia has taken on various roles with the CCBA in the 12 years since she began beekeeping: as a Chatham County Beekeeper School team member, a board member, then vice president and president. Julia wrapped up her second year as CCBA president in 2024 and is currently volunteering with the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association as an events coordinator. Julia’s participation in these organizations is driven by a steadfast commitment to contributing positively to her community. “I am most passionate about two things; God and community, because they have made
SPRING 2025
me who I am today,” she says. “My dream is to share my talents, means and wisdom with others. If everyone gave just a portion of whatever they have – whether it be finances, experience, time or talents – to help others, we could create a very different community: a thriving one with less need and more hope, love, gratitude and general well-being.” When Hurricane Helene struck the western reaches of our state last year, Julia contributed to relief efforts for the Buncombe County chapter of the NCSBA. Once CCBA volunteers reached out to gather data from affected beekeepers, Julia tabulated equipment and bee colonies that had been destroyed. “The numbers of losses were tremendous and heartbreaking,” Julia says. The next step was helping to coordinate efforts to replace supplies, hives and more than 100 honey bee colonies. “This was a huge undertaking, far beyond the scope of anything I’d ever [done],” Julia says. “Thanks to dozens of groups throughout the state and beyond, we have acquired the donations of bees and queens to replace those lost to Helene.” In her own backyard, Julia’s beekeeping hobby has grown into a small business: Old Apex Bee Company. She transformed a former hog facility on her family farm into her “honey house,” complete with a certified kitchen. Each year, she processes about 400 pounds of raw materials into jarred honey and cosmetics like lip balm and night cream – all while donating 10% of her profits to Pittsboro’s CORA Food Pantry. Julia honors her roots and family legacy by living and running her business on the 30-acre farm where she grew up, preserving the way of life that shaped her adolescence. F