Alexis Tejeda, Runamok's western regional sales manager, was the winner of the Specialty Food Association's Fast Pitch Friday competition, which took place in September as part of the Fancy Food 24/7 digital event. She recently spoke with SFA News Daily about Runamok, its entrance into the honey space, and the subject of her winning pitch: Runamok's Beekeeper’s Cut Autumn Blossom Raw Honey.
Please tell me about Runamok and how it came to be?
Runamok is a family-owned, Vermont-based company that started with a foundation of premium, organic maple syrup and has expanded to an array of maple and honey-based products. With a history in producing bulk maple syrup, husband and wife team, Eric and Laura Sorkin, set out in 2016 to create a truly special product and food brand. With elegant packaging, innovative flavor profiles, and the highest-quality ingredients, our infused, smoked, and barrel-aged maple syrup made waves in the food world, appearing in Oprah’s Favorite Things to Saveur and Food & Wine. In 2020 we expanded into maple-based cocktail mixers and bitters, and in 2021 we leveraged our knowledge and success with maple and ventured into nature’s other exquisite sweetener by starting a line of raw varietal, infused, and hot honeys.
Why did Runamok decide to introduce honey?
After years of planning, our passion for quality, innovation, and culinary exploration has resulted in this new honey line. Honey lends itself to some incredible flavors and was a natural choice for us. It's a wild harvested product and, like maple sugaring, every season is different. From raw varietals to infused and hot honeys, we’re always aiming to elevate everyday food and beverage experiences.
During your pitch of Runamok's Beekeeper’s Cut Autumn Blossom Raw Honey, you said that it’s the signature honey in your new line. Tell me about it and some of the other raw varietal, infused, and hot honeys in the line.
Like our Sugarmaker’s Cut maple syrup, our Beekeeper’s Cut honey was introduced to represent the very best honey we could source. After tasting countless honeys, the northern Appalachian autumn blossom was the clear choice to be our signature product. This honey, from the Winter Family Apiaries in Upstate New York, is sweet and floral with a bright finish. The autumn wildflower meadow is replete with asters, rudbeckia, and goldenrod, which all contribute to its character.
Bee Keeper’s Cut Autumn Blossom Raw Honey was found after two years of searching. Who did the searching and why?
When we first considered introducing honey to the Runamok line, we knew there was only one person for the job: Todd Hardie, a legendary Vermont beekeeper. Hardie has been instrumental in educating us about bees and honey. Considered the bee guru of the north country, we're very lucky to have him as a guide in this field that we're learning is complex and fascinating. He's taught us what to look for in the different flavors you might find in various regions and how to treat the honey during bottling to preserve its nutrients and beneficial properties. His network of beekeepers spans the whole country so Todd and Runamok founder Eric Sorkin traveled the country to secure honey from Montana to Florida and points in between.
What are tasting honeys, and what can they be used for and paired with?
Our whole line of raw honeys are about as close as you can get to tasting honey straight from the hive. We gently filter the honey, making sure we retain much of the original pollen and propolis, which provide raw honey many of its incredible medicinal qualities. For our flavored honeys, we applied the years we've spent honing our skills at infusing maple to this new category with excellent results. Our infused honey flavors blend beautifully with the floral notes of the honey--lemon verbena for an earthy herbal flavor, and hibiscus flower with its bright, tart punch. Our hot honeys range from the piney, tongue-tingling Szechuan peppercorn to a bold and smoky chipotle Morita to our Chile de Arbol, which packs the most heat.
Through which channels are the honeys currently distributed?
Our honey is carried in regional stores, independent grocers, and specialty retailers across the U.S. It's also available directly to consumers through our webstore at runamokhoney.com.
What’s next for Runamok?
Here at Runamok we're always working to perfect our craft and continue to look at food categories to elevate through innovation, unique flavor profiles, and beautiful packaging. This winter we're wrapping up the construction of a second sugarhouse in Bolton, Vt. that will have an additional 55,000 taps; our research and development team is hard at work on new syrup, honey, and cocktail mixer releases for 2022; and we're working with Let’s Grow Kids to start a childcare facility here at our plant to help address the challenges of childcare for working Vermonters. And we can’t wait to get back on the road this spring to meet with our sugarmakers around Vermont and honey producers across the country.
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