Commitment to Quality
Allen and Julie Scheffer owns and operates Smiley B Farms, a family farm dedicated to producing raw, tupelo, wildflower and other honey varieties in Graceville, Florida.
They take pride in producing the finest tupelo honey with a commitment to purity and authenticity. Their extraction process involves minimal heat to maintain the honey’s natural qualities and deliver a premium product that’s as close to eating it straight from the hive as you can get.
Tupelo honey is produced from the nectar of white Ogeechee tupelo tree blossoms. These trees are distributed along the borders of rivers and swamps mainly in remote wetlands. The small area between the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee rivers holds the largest concentration of these trees and is where beekeepers harvest the only pure tupelo honey in the world.
Challenges like wind, heavy rains and other weather have impacted beekeeping in the region, yet Smiley B Farms remains committed to quality honey production.
A Critical Partnership
With deep roots in agriculture, Farm Credit of Northwest Florida understands the unique challenges of operations like Smiley B Farms.
“Farm Credit of Northwest Florida understands the challenges of production agriculture, unlike most of the other lending institutions,” Allen said. “This understanding is critical in keeping agriculture viable in our area especially when dealing with specialty commodities like beekeeping.”
Allen and Julie didn’t grow up on a farm but have always had an interest in agriculture. Allen’s involvement in FFA led to a goal of owning his own cattle and starting a farm before he turned 30.
“Through Farm Credit’s help with a line of credit, I was able to obtain this goal. Although it was a couple of years after my 30th birthday, I was able to purchase some cattle and plant my first perennial peanut for hay. Since then, I have added our bee operation and have continued to use the line of credit to enhance our operation,” he said.
“Lending has changed so much throughout these many years, but we are very proud to say our lender has remained the same great supporter of agriculture.”
