The folks at Cloister are definitely biased about this honey; it's their favorite... hands down. Maybe it's because this varietal is made by our bees, on our land, in the mountains of North Carolina. Or maybe it's because it lives up to its recognition of being one of the "best honeys in the world." Regardless of the reason, the sourwood tree's delicious nectar represents our Appalachian Mountains well. Light, sticky, velvety, and warm - this is a seasonal honey.
Sweeten warm cider or tea Drizzle over cinnamon toast or warm spice or gingerbread Easy dessert idea: broken ginger snaps, vanilla ice cream, sourwood honey
About Cloister Honey: It all started with a Christmas gift. It was 2007 and Cloister Honey founders Joanne de la Rionda and Randall York were working in the finance and banking industry. Joanne thought a honey bee hive would make the perfect hobby for husband Randall, a science and environmental enthusiast. Shortly after receiving two hives from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm and classes from Mecklenburg County Bee Keepers Association for Christmas, Randall became a bonafide "bee nerd." Fortunately for them, the bee market did much better than banking the next few years. So well in fact, that Joanne and Randall quit their day jobs and started splitting up the hives, multiplying them more and more each year. With all that honey came lots of opportunities for delicious recipes. Joanne started to create and experiment in their kitchen with multiple spices, styles, textures, and infusions. Her culinary creations led them to receive top awards from Southern Living, Our State Magazine, and Charlotte Magazine and extend partnerships to retailers like William Sonoma, Whole Foods, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Dean & DeLuca, and more. When Joanne and Randall aren't attending gourmet food markets and tradeshows, they're in Charlotte running Cloister Honey and sister concept, Great River Hemp Co.