Chasing Honey Farm at Griffin Corners

Chasing Honey Farm at Griffin Corners

Chasing Honey Farm is a hyperlocal producer of raw, treatment-free honey specializing in minimally-strained & cut-comb styles. The apiary is located in the central Catskill Mountains overlooking Belleayre Ski Area, nestled between the villages of Pine Hill and Margaretville. The apiary (or bee yard) is co-located at Griffin Corners, our boutique farm in the Central Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York.

Our hives are treatment-free and we specialise in pure, local, raw, honey that is made without the use of chemicals, pesticides, fungicides, miticides, fumigants, commercial pollination practices, or artificial feeding of established colonies. We allow our bees to develop a natural resistance to the pest and disease factors that plague commercial honey farmers and avoid the use harsh chemicals to create a false sense of immunity in the hive.

What it tastes like

Our honey is multifloral or wildflower honey. While we have over 50 apple trees on our farm, we typically harvest honey at the end of the season. Early honey is lighter in colour, yellow, and reflects the fruity blossoms of apple, blackberry, and alpine strawberry.

As the season progresses, the honey darkens to a ruddy golden brown, taking on more woody notes, robust tanginess of goldenrod and the other summer perennials in abundance on our native pasture.

Where it’s from

Chasing Honey Farm is the brand name for honey and bee products/services from Griffin Corners, LLC. Griffin Corners is our 5-acre meadow in the heart of the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York, located just outside the village of Fleischmanns. The small farm project is operated by friends and relatives on family land.

● Currently not hosting tours or tastings at the farm in 2022, though we let people know what we’re up to on Facebook (Griffin Corners), Instagram (chasinghoneyfarm), and the Pure Catskills directory.

● Started beekeeping in 2013. Founder Chase Kruppo is a Jersey-native who has been coming to the Catskills for 35 years, having lived and worked in Fleischmanns and Oneonta in the past several years. When not beekeeping, Chase is a freelance graphic design and business consultant, and occasionally a ski instructor.

How it’s made

All of our honey is raw – meaning it is unheated, unfiltered, unpasteurized. It is produced on-site, without the use of chemical treatments, pesticides, fungicides, or miticides. The honey is as it was in the hive. It is never heat-treated, ultra-high filtered, or homogenised. This honey will naturally crystallise.

● Our cut-comb honey is the raw, natural honeycomb, directly cut from the hive. We don’t use an artificial wax foundation, the bees draw out their own wax honeycomb. This means that when you eat our comb honey, it is free from external contamination.

● Our minimally-strained liquid honey is the result of the comb cutting process. The honey that drips out of the sides of the comb is recovered and bottled directly. We do not store large quantities of honey. We harvest in batches and package immediately. This allows us to trace the origin of our jarred products and eliminates the need to store and reheat honey for packaging purposes.

● We package honey in food-grade recyclable/reusable plastic boxes or wide-mouth glass jars.

● We aim for quality over quantity by using natural beekeeping practices and producing a world-class product without poisoning the nearby watershed with agricultural runoff.

It’s not what we do to our honey that makes it so special, it’s what we don’t do that is the hallmark of our super-premium honey products.

Sweet deal, right?

By appointment: We run tours and tastings throughout the honey season- April through October.

On-site tours and farm work parties are suspended due to coronavirus until further notice. See our website for latest details.

Where to get more in 2022

● chasinghoney.com

● Maeve’s Place – Maeve’s Coffee Shop at Phoenicia Plaza

● Pine Hill Community Center