On Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, Great Lakes Bee Company hosted a grand opening at its new storefront in Old Rink Plaza in Fremont in celebration of Honey Harvest Month this September and the 50th anniversary of Hasselman’s Honey.
In recent years, backyard beekeeping has been on the rise, not just in Michigan, but nationwide. Great Lakes Bee Company in Fremont has been on the forefront of promoting the importance of beekeeping in the region and how it benefits Michigan’s economy and agriculture. Each May, bees from GLBC return home to Fremont, Michigan, after pollinating almond crops in California and rebuilding of hives in Georgia. When they’re back home, they forage on Newaygo County’s basswood, alfalfa, star thistle, and West Michigan flowers to create 150,000 pounds of Michigan’s Hasselman’s Honey.
“For us, it all started in 1974 with Larry Hasselman and his hobby for beekeeping,” said Great Lakes Bee Company owner Genji Leclair. “Larry founded Hasselman’s Honey after growing his passion and curiosity for bees, creating a distinctively delicious tasting honey. Since establishing Great Lakes Bee Company in 2016, it has been my mission to maintain Larry’s honey legacy and preserve the sources and processes that he has used since the 1970s, while also striving to produce only the best honey for our customers.”
During the event, Larry Hasselman shared how his honey business “accidently happened” with a Christmas gift of beekeeping items from his parents and the with bees would come later that spring. That spring Hasselman received two packages of bees and within a a couple months a majority of the bees in his two hives were dead.
“From then on, I called it the hobby that got out of hand,” laughed Hasselman.
From there, Hasselman grew his beekeeping hobby to 500 hives and began shipping “Hasselman’s Honey” throughout Michigan and Chicago.
“I was at the right place at the right time with the right people,” he said.
In addition to honey production, bees from Newaygo County also pollinate various crops including: almonds (January); apricots, sweet cherries, peaches and plums (April); tart cherries, pears, blueberries and apples (May).
“Bees play a significant role in our region’s and nation’s agriculture,” said Leclair. “By pollinating many crops used for animal feed, bees contribute to a third of the world’s food production. They are also essential in helping to maintain biodiversity and preserving our ecosystem that we depend on to survive. At Great Lakes Bee Company, we help educate the public about the irreplaceable value of honey bees to our environment.”
In addition to Hasselman’s Honey and supplying bees to beekeepers, GLBC sells beekeeping equipment and products made from their beeswax including candles and raw wax.
During the grand opening event, GLBC owner Genji Leclair and local representatives from the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and River Country Chamber of Commerce of Newaygo County hosted a ribbon cutting signifying the opening of the new store. Additionally, Fremont City Manager Todd Blake, presented us with a City Council resolution; while Kelly Lively from Sen. Gary Peters’ office and District Staff Assistant William Campbell from Congressman John Moolenaar’s office each presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to GLBC and Hasselman’s Honey. Also in attendance were Jodi Gruner from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, State Rep. Joseph Fox; and Mary Judnich from Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s office.
“September is National Honey Harvest Month so it’s an exciting time for us in the bee business,” said Leclair. “We are excited to welcome the public to our new store, where you can learn more about bees, beekeeping and buy our own beekeeping supplies and honey-related products.”
