Hi Sweet Friend!

We frequently get asked who's the person behind the Instagram and Facebook posts.  Even more so now that I'm finally showing all of these great videos my dad sends.  That would be me, Valerie, a beekeeper's daughter.  Here's a brief run down of how I became the girl behind Avery Girl Honey.

If you've read our About Us page you know that my dad, Richard Ashurst started Avery Girl Honey several years ago and named it after my niece, Avery Ashurst.  In 2016 my dad asked me if I could get a label made.  At the time I was a project coordinator for my husband's consulting firm so I knew people in the design and print world.  I told  him I could and asked what the web address was.  That's when I learned they didn't have one.  In this day and age I just assumed everyone had a website.  I told him that I could get one made for him and then Avery Girl Honey could sell online too.  Why should only the people in the Imperial Valley have access to this delicious honey!  My dad, being a beekeeper and a firm believer in the "beekeeper way" (you can read about that here) said he thought I could do it.  To this day I don't know what made me say, "Yeah! I can do this!" I had never built a website, I had never edited a photo, and I had never written copy.  In fact, I had never really spent much time on social media!  But, around this same time my husband's consulting firm was going a different direction and it was time for me to leave that world.  I was looking for something that allowed me to create, and not just manage projects or put spreadsheets together (something I love to do).  I was looking for something that I could be passionate about, and keep me home with my growing kids.  I jumped in head first with my eyes shut, and immediately hit a wall.  Yep.  Big. Giant. Wall.  Guess what?  When you've never done something before there is a LOT to learn.

I have made many mistakes and I have learned a lot in the last couple of years.  Through this learning process I came back to my roots, a small town girl from the agriculture center of Southern California, and a beekeeper's daughter.  While the part of me that longed to create found a purpose, it is the part of me that has spent time learning from my dad more about honey, beekeeping, and California agriculture that really makes me excited about being part of Avery Girl Honey.

There's a lot more to honey than what you see in the grocery store, there's a lot more to beekeeping than what you see in a movie, and there's a lot more to California than cities and coastlines.  As I continue to learn more I hope you stick around and follow along on my journey.

Keep Buzz'n!

Valerie, A Beekeeper's Daughter

P.S. While I am the person that gets to tell the story of Ashurst Bee Co, who just celebrated 100 years of beekeeping, and Avery Girl Honey, there are many, many hands that play a much bigger role in our story than me.  I can't wait to introduce you to all of them.  It is a cast of characters for sure!