A beekeeper extraordinaire and has been learning about these beauties for over twenty years. It all started with a love of the outdoors and a passion for starting his own business. As a pre-teen, he was living in rural Texas and had a passion for entrepreneurship. In 2002, an eager 12-year-old Blake, who had never been interested in bees, took advice from his parents and applied for a scholarship that gave kids all the tools they needed to start beekeeping. Never winning anything before, he was ecstatic when he won a beehive and classes to get his journey started! It only took two courses, and it was all love from there on out.

Blake built his first building from trees and lumber he cut from his parent’s land and recycled metal. The effort was day and night building beehives and planning for the future. Around high school, he wanted to share his passion for bees with others and began selling honey to friends and family. There was a local health-food store in the area, Mike’s, who became his first legitimate customer. John Talbert, a local, became Blake’s mentor and hero and inspired him to begin his commercial beekeeping business.

At that point, Blake produced, labeled, and hand-delivered all of the honey he sold in his grandfather’s 1988 Ford truck. His business was growing, and at 17, he became the president of the beekeeping club that gave him his first hive.

His company has grown immensely. He may not hand-deliver every jar of honey, but the passion remains. He serves on the National Honey Board to help promote honey in the USA and the American Beekeeping Federation to help promote beekeeping. He also has two beekeeping supply companies, Texas Bee Supply, and Commercial Bee Supply, a bulk bee business, Desert Creek Bulk Bees, a honey packing business, Desert Creek Honey an almond pollination, Desert Creek Pollination.

Blake is a true treasure to the beekeeping and conservation community and is a well of knowledge to our Hives for Heroes NewBEE’s and Mentors. We want to thank him for choosing to serve alongside us and for allowing us to continue our mission of saving bees and saving vets.