“We love what we do.” Not everyone can say that about their jobs or careers, but that’s exactly the way Alex Pakdaman describes his family’s honey farm and retail store. What began in Dacula, Georgia when Alex was fifteen years old has resulted in a tradition of hard work and pride of offering quality products. With the expansion of locations not only in north Georgia but now also in central Florida for honey production and with a retail storefront in John’s Creek, it’s easy to see that the Pakdamans truly do enjoy their business.
After graduating from high school, Alex went to Georgia State College and then entered the military. He served four years as an Army Ranger, 2nd Battalion. “I loved serving my country. It was an honor,” said Alex. However, when he returned home, he struggled with PTSD. “I had issues,” he said. “My father suggested getting back into beekeeping since it requires being calm. Beekeeping really helped me – to calm me down,” explained Alex. His father, now 85 years old, was right, and it has proven to be very good for Alex. Now he and his wife Kat work and manage the business together. Kat was formerly in the medical profession but now handles the marketing and advertising for the business. As their business grew, they partnered with other beekeepers, only the best of whom also share the Pakdaman’s same vision of quality. Georgia Honey Farm has been in the beekeeping industry for 30 years with a team of competent beekeepers who dedicate their time and knowledge to producing the finest honey. They pride themselves in producing the best and selling the freshest honey possible. But in order to continue that tradition, the Pakdamans knew they’d need to provide the best environment for their bees. They began to research options. That research led them to pursue a tract of land, and that pursuit led them to AgGeorgia Farm Credit. They worked with Ryan Hardin in the LaFayette Office.
Their land purchase was in the north Georgia mountains near Cloudland Canyon in Dade and Walker Counties. There, their hives could be further away from pollution. “Bees travel 2-3 miles to get their fruit and bring into the hives,” explained Alex. “[With the hives located in the mountains], the air is much cleaner, the water is much cleaner and the quality of the honey is much better.” Now with their land, they could not only focus on the quality of the honey but also provide a value-added service. They’d like to eventually open up their land and have the community and others visit to learn about beekeeping, the production of honey and the importance of the bees themselves. This in turn will help the visitors learn about agriculture and help them have a better, healthier life. As a third generation beekeeper, Alex knows the significance of learning. “I learned the hard way about how not to get stung,” Alex comically stated. “Don’t stand in front of the hives – that’s where they go in and out. Don’t walk or move fast – stay calm. If you stay calm, they will too,” he explained. “They can sense the fear. Their whole job is to protect the queen.” He also compared the hive to a family. “The queen runsthe family justlike the mother and takes care of the family. The drones are like the father, doing a lot of hard work,” he said. But he quickly added,“It’s allteam work.” The Pakdamans also said we could learn from the work ethic of the bees. It’s what they BEE-lieve in. BEE a giver, not a taker. BEE humble. BEE the best you can BEE and pay it forward.
Alex and Kat both enjoy educating visitors to their store on the holistic benefits of honey. Using it as a natural therapeutic agent, honey can be used as a nutritional supplement to aid in weight loss and promote health benefits such as reducing cough and throat irritation, easing the symptoms of the common cold and providing vitamins and minerals. It can also serve as a natural source of energy and improve the appearance of your skin. In addition, the pollen that bees collect is used as a holistic support for better health not only for humans but for the bees themselves. “Bee pollen is collected from the flowers and is a super food,” explained Alex. “It’s what they save for the winter. We feed our bees pollen and honeycomb. Bee pollen is their protein and honeycomb is their food.” According to the Medical Daily website, bee pollen contains several enzymes that can aid in digestion and assist in weight loss, reduction of inflammation, fight allergies and support health hormones. “We love having customers in our store to let them taste and give them information about our products,” Alex said. “One of the first things we ask is what their use will be - allergies, sweetener, etc. Sugar is harder to break down in your body than honey and we offer several different varieties of honey, including the local honey. We want them [the customers] to touch, smell and taste," said Alex. Their store has plenty of items for the customers to do just that. They also have a website for online orders and can customize gift bags and baskets for special occasions like wedding or baby showers, anniversaries, as a thank you, or as the Pakdamans say, just for BEE-ing you or just BEE-cause. They explained that in numerous cultures, giving honey for the holidays has a symbolic value. Honey is also a traditional housewarming gift so that you may always enjoy the sweetness of life. During the Jewish New Year, dipping apples into honey welcomes a sweet new year. “The Georgia honeys are Wildflower, Gallberry, Sourwood and Clover, and our Florida honey is Clover, Orange Blossom and Tupelo. These won’t grow in Georgia because of the weather,” explains Alex.
Since the formation of Georgia Honey Farm, their focus has been on the quality of their honey. Their dream, however, now that they’ve made their land purchase, is to have hands-on training on the land and allow visitors to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. They’ve already been able to make improvements toward that goal with the installation of fencing and irrigation with help from AgGeorgia. “We want them [the visitors] to come to the country, get off the grid and be at a place they can stay calm. We want to share the land with the community. It’s there for them,” explained Alex. His sense of generosity is something he’s learned from the bees he keeps. “One thing I love about beekeeping is they take care of each other like a family,” Alex said. “I’m learning that just like honeybees, when we work together as a team, we all can be successful.” Alex paused and then continued, “All people in agriculture need to support each other. Agriculture is not easy but we’re blessed to have AgGeorgia Farm Credit. They’ve been with us since day one. Ryan Hardin helped us and took care of us, the whole team did. He explained all our documents from A to Z and followed up with me. It’s been absolutely helpful. Ryan’s been a blessing and they’ve helped us grow our business,” said Alex. “We’re not just numbers, we’re friends.” Ryan feels the same about Alex and Kat. “Alex has been great to work with from the beginning,” said Ryan. He further explained, “He is always quick to send information and goes above and beyond to make sure the information is correct and thorough. My favorite part about their business is how Alex takes time with his customers to explain beekeeping and all of the many benefits. He’s not in it for the next sale but to make sure people leave with a better understanding of beekeeping and its role in agriculture throughout the world.”
For more information, visit Georgia Honey Farm at the following location: georgiahoneyfarm.com.