Gentle Breeze Honey

Tribute to Eugene Woller(1946-2022) Gentle Breeze Honey:ProudlyFamily-OwnedSince the 1960s! As with many other beekeeping operations, what is now athree-generationfamily business grew out of something that started as a personal hobby. After taking a beekeeping class through the University ofWisconsin–Madisonin the mid-1960s,Eugene Wollerbecame fascinated with the wonders of the beekeeping world. Eugene and his wife, Donna, soon started Gentle Breeze Honey on a modest,part-timebasis with the purchase of seven hives from a retiring beekeeper. Gentle Breeze Honey was nurtured and sustained for many years with help from Eugene and Donna’s three children, became afull-timeendeavor in 1991, and would eventually grow to its current size of approximately 600 hives maintained in 25 area locations here in southwestern Wisconsin. Upon retiring from the Air Force in 2015 after 20 years of service, Eugene and Donna’s son, Tim, rejoined the family honey business on afull-timebasis. Tim wished to expand his knowledge of bees and beekeeping, cultivate new skills as a businessman, and loyally dedicate himself to ensuring that Gentle Breeze Honey could navigate new challenges and thrive for many years to come as his parents approached their retirement years. Building upon thelong-standingclient relationships and extensive beekeeping wisdom developed by his father, Eugene, over more than five decades, Tim has strived to infuse new energy into the family enterprise, particularly in regard to disease management practices and maintaining robust bee health. This has entailed not only long hours of physically demanding work, but also the vital need for ongoing learning about how to best optimize all facets of the business. Ownership of the business is gradually transitioning to Tim and his wife, Cathy. With their sons now having joined Gentle Breeze Honey’s devoted staff, Tim and Cathy continue to explore and refine new ideas and opportunities for the business in the ever-changing world of beekeeping! Buddy, The Best Honey Dog Ever! Interested in getting into beekeeping? Have a look at ourBeginning Beekeeping Presentation Bees, so crucial to our food supply, are dying off at alarming rates. Learn more:Protecting Our Pollinators