Amy Wright
Beekeeper
Amy Wright was born to love bees. It’s no surprise that this dewy elixir literally runs through Amy’s veins with more than 3 generations and over 60 years of beekeeping in her family’s history.
Wright’s beekeeping story began on Christmas Day, 1996. It was family tradition to spend Christmas in Pleasant Hill, Alabama – a sleepy country town. On Christmas morning, her grandparents gifted her family a set of beehives. “My grandparents wanted my brothers and I to have a hobby that involved being outdoors. He gave us 7 hives to start! As small children, that’s a large task, so my dad really took charge,” she says.
“I really started getting interested in beekeeping in college. While I was at Appalachian State, I fell in love with nature more than ever before. I would go backpacking every chance I could, and when I traveled home I looked forward to working with my dad and granddaddy in the garden and beekeeping. It was definitely in college that I found my green thumb and love for beekeeping.”
Following graduation, Amy traveled around to a number of places like Kauai, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Crested Butte, Colorado. “I saw the most magnificent things during my treks…people carrying extreme loads up hills in very hot conditions…and they always had a smile on their face no matter their circumstances. Everything I experienced on my journey was life changing. It changed who I am as an individual and that’s something I’ll carry with me forever.”
Then a two-year stint in Asheville, North Carolina got her back in the buzz full time. “Asheville is a town where people are extremely conscious about the food they put into their bodies. I often brought honey from my dad’s farm in Florida back up to Asheville and gave it away to friends. In doing this, I received a great number of positive responses about the honey and realized that I was ready to take a leap of faith and make a career out of beekeeping,” she says.
Wright returned from Asheville and moved back to Destin, settling in her first home with her dog, Blue and began The Honey Hutch. Not only do her 70 hives produce about 500 gallons of honey a year, but she also markets lip balm and soap made from beeswax and other natural ingredients.
Sadly, in November of 2009, the man that started it all – Wright’s grandfather, Hamilton Harper – passed away but left a family legacy behind that will always resonate with her. From her first hive in 1996 to now selling her honey to more than 30 retailers, there is one thing that has stayed true to The Honey Hutch: doing good does you good.
“I want to have a successful business that provides healthy, sustainable, and natural products to individuals of all ages. I love working with my hands and being outdoors. My job allows me to do both of those things! But more than that, it enables me to do more: give back to mother earth and do something for the overall greater good.”
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