Sometimes the best cure for a racing mind is noticing the tiny things around us. We can return to the present moment through a bird song, a deep breath, a falling leaf, or the hum of a sweet bumblebee collecting nectar. At Funny Farm Apiaries in Mertztown, noticing the small things is the name of the game. Here, beekeeping and mindfulness come together in a variety of therapeutic programs designed to support well-being and connect the community. What’s more, Funny Farm produces loads of tasty, beneficial products including honey, salves, syrups and much more.
We chatted with Wendy Fujita, owner and beekeeper, who shared with us the ways her farm is making connections on numerous levels, starting with the hive.
PA Eats: How was Funny Farm Apiaries started?
Wendy Fujita: I lost my job in corporate and my husband was keeping bees as a hobby. I was deathly afraid of the bees, but knew how important they were. I decided I should put on my big girl pants and help out so they wouldn’t be neglected. I was hooked immediately. I decided to start the business known as Funny Farm Apiaries.
We currently have bees across three counties: Berks, Montgomery and Lehigh. We have close to 100 hives.
You have a lot of programming that involves mindfulness, therapy and positive coping strategies. How did you come to combine those with beekeeping?
The more I learned about the bees, and through research I did, it all pointed to how these amazing creatures can help with stress, anxiety and PTSD. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t started beekeeping myself. I suffer from anxiety and when I cared for my mother who had dementia, I was so very stressed. I said to my son one day, “I am going out beekeeping.” When I was done, I realized how relaxed and calm I was. I told my son, “I get it. I feel so much better. Now I understand why they use this as a form of therapy for the Veterans.”
We love to educate people on the amazing honeybees, allowing them to understand how very docile they really are. They really don’t want to sting you. In doing this, it helps us build connections with the community.
Can you tell us about Funny Farm Apiaries’ mentor programming for veterans and first responders?
The mentoring of veterans and first responders is so important. It is a way for us to give back to those that served.
Beekeeping is very therapeutic. They have found that beekeeping can help with PTSD. It also gives veterans and first responders purpose after service. We work with a group called Hives for Heroes®. It is a national nonprofit service organization focusing on sustainability, conservation, and providing a healthy transition from service. Through their national network of beekeepers, they provide connection, purpose, and healthy relationships through access, resources, and funding for active duty, veterans, and first responders.
Can you share a bit about your other offerings, like the Beekeeper Experience, Bee Talks and Kids Nature & Mindfulness sessions?
The Beekeper Experience with Fujita
The Beekeeper Experience is just another way for us to help educate and connect with the community. People will book a beekeeper experience and we suit them up and take them into a live hive explaining what we do as beekeepers.
For the Bee Talks, we use a live hive that is placed in an observation hive. This allows people to see the workings of a hive. It’s a nice way to make connections and educate them.
Fujita giving a Bee Talk with an observation hive
With Kids Nature & Mindfulness sessions, we thought it might be fun to do a collaboration with a friend who is all about children’s well being. She shares this through yoga and healthy eating. We started with a bee talk with an observation hive. Then the kids went with Miss Shelby for a nutritional snack, and it ended with some yoga. Miss Shelby teaches mindfulness as well as nutrition while they snack and do yoga.
You make a lot of great products, both honey and other items. Can you tell us about them?
Our bees produce amazing wildflower honey. We extract our honey here on the premises. All of our honey is raw, meaning it has not been heated above 140 degrees. I know full well that not everyone is on board with the taste of honey, so I infuse our raw honey with the plant itself, a natural extract or a food grade essential oil. We have over 30 flavor-infused honeys like vanilla bean, lavender, blueberry lemon and so on.
A year ago, I purchased another small business that infuses raw apple cider vinegar (ACV). I felt this was a good match for our business. I love the infusion process and it’s another health beneficial product that can be used in conjunction with our honey. We infused all our ACV with fresh root vegetables, fruits and herbs to provide the most flavorful product.
One challenge has been setting ourselves apart from every other beekeeper. When I started the business back in 2016, I was one of very few that had a flavored honey. Now I believe I am the only one that infuses honey, while the others flavor it, but it still makes it challenging to set us apart.
I like to focus on things that help our customers stay healthy. We provide several elderberry products that help boost your immune system. I like to use as much as we can from the hive. Everything that comes from the hive is beneficial.
I also make a massage cream for the New Jersey Devils. The team’s massage therapist had come to a farmers market and inquired if I could make something like what they were currently using, which is being discontinued. I read the ingredients, did some research and made a massage cream that they have purchased for the last three years.
I also make CBD salves, healing salves and elderberry propolis throat spray, just to name a few other specialty items.
Visit the Funny Farm Apiaries website to learn more about its many programs and products, available throughout the Reading and Allentown areas and beyond. You can follow its Facebook and Instagram pages to stay in the loop, where you’ll find PA Eats as well!
- Photos: Wendy Fujita
