Olivarez Honey Bees Inc.

Chico Honey Company is a third-generation family-owned beekeeping and honey production operation based in Northern California. Founded on a tradition that dates back to 1965, when the founders' grandfather began tending bees and learning from the pioneers of the trade in the region, the company has grown into a vertically integrated honey brand that controls every step of the process — from hive management to bottling. Unlike most commercial honey brands that source their products in bulk from outside suppliers, Chico Honey Company harvests exclusively from its own hives, ensuring complete traceability and consistent quality from bee to jar.

The company produces raw, unfiltered, undiluted, and unblended honey that is never processed or pasteurized, preserving the full complexity of flavor and nutritional integrity that distinguishes truly artisanal honey from mass-market alternatives. Their bees are kept in remote hive locations set at varying elevations throughout the sun-drenched Northern California valley, surrounded by forests and mountain terrain. This strategic placement allows bees to forage from a diverse range of wildflowers and blooms, including purple vetch, yellow star thistle, white sweet clover, alfalfa, and manzanita. The resulting honey captures the terroir of Northern California's landscape and reflects the natural variation of each seasonal harvest.

Chico Honey's flagship varietal is described as mellow and golden, with a flavor profile that layers fruit and floral overtones with notes of fresh grass and sun-dried hay, finishing with a rich but not overpowering sweetness. This complexity makes it a versatile ingredient suited to both sweet and savory culinary applications — from baked goods and cheese pairings to beverages including tea, coffee, cocktails, and hot toddies.

The business is currently operated by siblings Ryan, Josh, and Haley Olivarez, who were raised in the family trade and continue the hands-on approach passed down through three generations. Their father, Ray Jr., built a well-regarded operation raising queen bees and package bees for beekeepers and honey producers across the country, further deepening the family's technical expertise. Today, the Olivarez siblings personally oversee hive care and hand-fill every jar of honey they produce, maintaining the small-batch integrity that defines the brand.

Chico Honey Company positions itself in the premium, artisan honey segment, appealing to consumers and buyers who prioritize provenance, purity, and craft over commodity pricing. Their honey is sold direct-to-consumer with flat-rate and free ground shipping options, making it accessible to retail customers nationwide. The brand's emphasis on single-source, estate-harvested honey, combined with its multigenerational beekeeping heritage and commitment to bee health, differentiates it clearly within an increasingly crowded natural foods marketplace.