The Kallas Honey Farm's history stretches back 56 years to 1941. John P.
Kallas, the founder, developed an interest in beekeeping while helping a
Fox Point (WI) neighbor who was a hobbyist beekeeper. The neighbor gave
Kallas a hive of his own as payment for his efforts. That one hive turned
into many, and a family business was born. A few years later, Kallas had
close to 100 hives and a small processing operation.
Kallas' two sons, James and Gerald, also became involved and began selling their product door-to-door in their neighborhood, at farmer's markets, and at county fairs. After a term in the Marine Corps, James Kallas returned home with his own family and decided to expand the family business by tapping into the retail market. The father-son pair began with the small local "mom & pop" grocery stores, steadily adding more accounts to their customer base. The city was growing quickly, and each time a new store opened, the Kallas' were right there with their home grown honey. In 1951, they hooked up with yet another small-time grocer, not yet knowing that they had landed a major account. The store was owned by Max Kohl, who, with his family's assistance, would later pioneer the "supermarket" concept, and develop an extensive chain of food stores (Kohl's) across Wisconsin.
In 1955, the operation moved out of the Kallas family basement to its location in Glendale, Wisconsin. At that time, nearly 1000 hives were scattered across Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Washington counties in southeastern Wisconsin. The family was still able to produce all the honey it needed to satisfy their customers, but that was soon to change as the demand for honey increased. Eventually, the Kallas' had to start buying honey from other local producers in order to fill their own orders. They only bought locally grown honey, noting that even the orange blossom variety was harvested from Wisconsin bees that were transported to Florida for the winter.
In the early 1970's, as John Kallas was nearing retirement, a decision was made to end the beekeeping aspect of the business, and concentrate on the processing, packaging, marketing, and distribution aspects. John Kallas passed away in 1990, but not before he saw the business, which started in his basement, reach an annual production of 1 million pounds.
Two of James Kallas' sons have since joined the family business, making it three generations strong. Peter Kallas is currently Vice President of Sales and Distribution, while Perry Kallas is Vice President of Operations. The Kallas Honey Farm distributes to major grocery chains and health and specialty food shops, as well as many commercial food manufacturers and bakeries in the midwest. The company's service area includes all of southeastern Wisconsin, as well as the metropolitan areas of Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Today, the business is focused in two separate markets. The first, Retail Sales, includes servicing grocery stores and supermarkets either directly or through distributors. The Kallas Honey Farm also caters to health and specialty food stores, and its product line includes a variety of specialty honey and honey-based items such as honey mustard, honey spreads, and honey caramel corn. There is also a separate natural food product line which includes pure maple syrup and a selection of dried fruits.
The second market, Commercial Sales, is by far the largest, and involves supplying commercial food manufacturers, bakeries, restaurants, and food service accounts with honey for use as a sweetener for their products. Examples of these products include honey-cured hams, honey roasted nuts, honey mustards, salad dressings and sauces, beverages, and deserts, in addition to breads and baked goods. Many of these products are available nationwide under their respective manufacturer's label.
In recent years, the Kallas Honey Farm has continued to expand and modernize its facilities. The current processing plant now stands at 8,000 sq. ft., with a separate 8,000 sq. ft. warehouse, which is able to hold up to 1,000,000 lbs of raw honey awaiting processing. In 1996, the Kallas Honey Farm processed nearly 2,000,000 lbs of honey.
The company takes great pride in the fact that it is one of the few commercial processors that only buys strictly domestically produced honey. The majority of the honey is raised in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but honey from other states, including Michigan, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Florida, Texas, and Arizona, is also purchased. While cheaper, foreign produced honey is widely available, the Kallas Honey Farm believes in supporting the American Producers. That's why "MADE IN USA" is printed on every label. For this reason, Kallas honey may not always be the lowest priced product, but the Kallas Honey Farm and many of it customers agree that the quality is worth the difference.