Utica Honey: A Masterful Blend of Tradition, Nature, and Bee Care

Utica Honey blends our founder’s native beekeeping skills from Iraq with the varied landscape of Upstate New York to produce uniquely flavored honey and continue cultural traditions.

Our Story

Thulfiqar grew up in Iraq where he developed a passion for beekeeping as a hobby. He enjoyed learning about the intricate organization of bee hives and found satisfaction in providing honey for his family. When Thulfiqar served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army, he faced threats due to his work. This led him to seek asylum in the United States, eventually settling in Utica, New York.

Starting a new life as a refugee was challenging but Thulfiqar embraced opportunities to further his education. He studied cybersecurity at the graduate level with aspirations of using his technological skills. In the meantime, Thulfiqar has found fulfillment in sharing his cultural heritage through beekeeping. He now operates a boutique production operation, blending traditional beekeeping techniques from Iraq with the local landscape and plants of Upstate New York. Everything that Thulfiqar utilize is USA made, tools, labels, jars and lids to support our US businesses.

Founder Thulfiqar Alsaadi is an Iraqi Immigrant sharing his cultural traditions through beekeeping.

Our Process

Each of our hives produce an average of 100 pounds of honey per season. By leaving more than enough fall honey in place for the bees to consume over winter, we are able to harvest around 1000 pounds of honey total each year without needing to provide supplemental feeding.

We treat our hives only naturally - without using chemicals. Our methodology involves natural remedies like garlic and mint and the medium-frame technique. This mitigates the risk of Varroa mites to the hives.

The honey has a unique flavor profile due to the variety of trees and plants in our region that provide nectar for the bees. When drawn from the hive, the honeycomb displays distinct color variations from the different floral sources and contains high levels of nutrients and enzymes.

Healthy bees make better honey, and we’re excited to share the results of this beautiful symbiotic relationship with our customers.