Edisto Gold Honey Case Study: Industrial Honey Mixing
Founder of Edisto Gold Honey, Mark Connelly started working with bees at the age of 16 in the foothills of North Carolina. That’s where the passion for beekeeping formed, eventually leading him to start his own honey business in South Carolina. Mark began by selling wildflower honey, then found potential in the market for infused honey. Today, Edisto Gold Honey offers a wide range of infused honey flavors, including vanilla, lavender, elderberry, hot honey, and pumpkin spice, through their website and in hundreds of stores across the southeast region. Mark has been able to scale his business based on a foundation of responsible beekeeping and a goal to support local South Carolina agriculture.
The process of creating infused honey involves warming up the honey and stirring in the infusion flavor simultaneously. When production volumes were smaller, Mark could handle much of that mixing manually. As demand increased, hand mixing became inefficient, and it became more difficult to maintain consistent flavor throughout larger batches.
Honey’s thick, viscous texture ruled out standard mixers, which weren’t built to handle something that dense without overworking it. Mark also wanted to mix the honey at its most dense state to limit heat exposure, since heating the honey impacts the flavor.
His search led him to BASCO’s High Viscosity Gear Drive Closed Head Drum Mixer. A mixer built to handle the job and made for dense liquids that standard equipment struggles with. It is designed to fit directly into 55 gallon drums, making it a practical fit for producers working with viscous products at scale. Like many of his equipment decisions, Mark researched his options using the internet and an AI tool, comparing several mixers before landing on this one, noting that this mixer matched the quality level he was looking for.
Mark also appreciated the smooth ordering process and the support he received from BASCO’s customer service team. Because the mixer was built to order, BASCO worked with him throughout the process to ensure he received equipment suited to his production needs. Since putting the mixer to use, Mark has seen improvements in efficiency, particularly when incorporating flavors into his honey. The mixer has helped streamline the infusion process, reducing the need for manual mixing, and making it easier to maintain consistent flavor distribution across larger batches.
Mark’s experience is a familiar one for honey producers navigating the shift from hand mixing to equipment made to sustain infusion at scale and handle viscous product, flavor sensitive processes, and the need for consistency in every batch. For producers facing the same challenge, our team at BASCO has you covered. When asked what he would tell another company considering BASCO, Mark pointed to the customer service and the quality of the product, with no hesitation or complaints. Like Mark, you can count on our team to help you find the right fit. Give our customer service team a call today for guidance on what equipment might be the best match for your business and what you’re producing.
If you are interested in tasting Edisto Gold Honey for yourself, click here!