We are thrilled to introduce our new honey collection, made possible through our partnership with Bear Canyon Honey. Bear Canyon embodies the interconnection of the hive by uniting beekeepers from Taos to Las Cruces and in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. Their work has helped build a strong network of local honey suppliers, support healthy ecosystems and celebrate a growing community of backyard beekeepers.
Our connection with Bear Canyon Honey and its owner, Matt Strong, came through our Los Poblanos beekeeper, Lara Lovell, and the Albuquerque Beekeepers Association. Matt began beekeeping with his family in his own backyard, and as his expertise and enthusiasm grew, he brought together a large community of local farmers, beekeepers and enthusiasts, with plenty of local raw honey to share.
Backyard bees are a vital part of Bear Canyon’s mission. The hives Matt tends in people’s yards do more than just produce honey—they bring people together and inspire a deeper connection with the environment. “Keeping bees changes how people view their yards and their choices about pest and weed control,” Matt explains. “They start planting new pollinator gardens and become passionate about it.” Curious neighbors often request a hive of their own, and harvest time can become a festive neighborhood event.
Bear Canyon also oversees an array of hives that support agriculture in New Mexico. In the southern part of the state, they work with farmers to help pollinate the fruit and pecan trees in early spring. These honeybees perform an essential service, as New Mexico’s native bees are naturally most active later in the season, well after most fruit trees have flowered. Pollination contracts like these help produce enough honey to sell commercially.
Pure New Mexico Raw Honey
Beekeeping has long been a tradition at Los Poblanos since Armin Rembe started the first hives in 2005. Since then we have cared for bees, learned from watching their habits as they buzz through the lavender, and weathered both challenging and abundant seasons. Our own hives produce a relatively small amount of honey, and we wanted to share the unique flavors of New Mexico Honey with guests and friends near and far.
We collaborated with Bear Canyon Honey to create a Los Poblanos collection that captures the unique taste of New Mexico and signature local flavors. Our New Mexico Honey is pure gold straight from the hives of the Rio Grande Valley. Our Lavender Honey pairs raw honey from hives across the state with our own lavender essence—a mere drop of organic hydrosol distilled on the farm—for a distinctive Los Poblanos flavor. If you enjoy hot honey, you will love the smoky taste of toasted Hatch chiles in our Red Chile Honey.
Our raw honey is unheated and unfiltered, preserving its natural enzymes, antioxidants and nutrients. Raw honey contains traces of bee pollen and propolis, known for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Its distinctive flavor, influenced by the local flora, provides a more complex and nuanced taste compared to commercially processed varieties.
Bee-ing Green: Responsible Beekeeping
Bear Canyon shares our commitment to sustainable practices, giving special attention to areas where pollen is scarce and native bee species face threats. They emphasize educating the public about the dangers of herbicides and pesticides to both bees and humans, aiming to create an environment where bees can thrive. They carefully manage mite infestations and other threats, respecting the delicate balance of our local ecosystem.
Bear Canyon’s hives are strategically placed in areas like Bear Canyon’s foothills and the Rio Grande River Valley, where their bees help pollinate native plants such as Desert Marigold, Firecracker Penstemon and Desert Globemallow. Every spoonful of Los Poblanos honey represents a beautiful partnership and a labor of love shared between bees, plants and people.
