Bob and Peggy Gregory are a longtime married couple enjoying their retirement in the sweetest way — by beekeeping honeybees at Almosta Ranch Apiary.
Bob began beekeeping as a preteen with his father. Although he enjoyed it as he grew older, beekeeping was something he moved away from as he began to work and started a family. It wasn’t until after he retired that he attended a beekeeping class with his wife, Peggy, and decided to pick the practice up again.
“My husband is the master beekeeper, and he would say I’m the master salesperson,” Peggy said.
“The most important thing a beekeeper needs to learn is all the details a beekeeper needs to know,” Bob said.
“It really is a process, and the process is listening to the sources of information, which include older, more experienced beekeepers and finding out from them what they do and what kind of success they have.” Bob said, “Learning from that and then managing the bees based on that kind of information, and continuing to learn what we need to do, specifically here in this area.”
A few years before they started beekeeping, Bob and Peggy sold signs and wind chimes at local farmers markets. This gave them the idea to start selling honey at farmers markets.
After realizing bees made more than they needed, the couple made and sold products with the excess honey.
“Primarily, our honey is what we sell and products that are associated with our honey.” Peggy said, “We have products that contain beeswax and honey, such as lip balms and lotion bars.”
In the past, the Gregorys have also sold air fresheners and candles made from beeswax.
The bestselling products are their all-natural, raw, unfiltered liquid honey and whipped honey, also known as creamed honey.
“Whipped honey has the advantage of being spreadable. We can also add flavorings to it,” Peggy said.
The Downtown Conway farmers market is where customers can usually find Almosta Ranch Apiary products. The market runs May through October every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 718 Parkway St.
The couple occasionally sells their products at other venues.
“This year, we ventured out to the Bella Rustina vintage market that is out at the Conway Expo Center four times a year,” Peggy said, “For about the last four years, we have sold out at the Schaefers and Collins Pumpkin Patch during October and that’s coming up now. That’s always a fun activity because there’s so many people and children that come out.”
“We do, from time to time, have some honey at the UCA campus too. It was sold at the deli on campus, which has unfortunately burned down.” Peggy said, “Maybe soon we’ll have a little bit of our honey available on the UCA campus again.”
Along with Almosta Ranch Apiary, the Downtown Conway farmers market has more than 30 vendors weekly and has run for over 60 years. To contact Almosta Ranch Apiary, you can call the Gregorys at 501-514-0823. To speak to farmers market manager Judith Allen, call 501-590-8592.