Who we are
We’re Dee and Philip, woodworkers and small farmers near Albany, Oregon. Dee grew up in Pennsylvania on a farm with lots of different animals, but no bees. Philip is from Salem, Oregon and didn’t grow up on a farm but started keeping bees and livestock while he was in college at Oregon State.
About 20 years ago, we started keeping bees together in Pennsylvania and found it endlessly interesting—and sometimes challenging—but we loved it. We held honey extraction parties with friends, sending everyone home with some of our harvest, and made our own beeswax candles during the cold PA winters.
After moving our farm from Pennsylvania to Oregon, we stopped keeping bees to focus on restarting our farm near Albany. We both really enjoy working with animals and have missed keeping bees.
Before moving, we always enjoyed assembling our own boxes, covers, lids, and frames. So, when we had the chance to make woodenware for other beekeepers, we jumped at it — and it felt like a natural way to combine our love of woodworking and bees.
When we’re not building bee boxes, we’re tending our flock of roughly 100 sheep, working in our sweet corn patch, and growing crops for seed.
Our Approach / What We Make:
All of our woodenware is handcrafted in our small — but capable — farm shop. We focus on careful craftsmanship to create boxes that are sturdy, reliable, and practical from Oregon lumber that is harvested sustainably (see Materials page for more details). We offer Worker (utility) grade and Queen (premium) grade boxes in common sizes to suit a variety of beekeeping needs.
Whether you’re a hobbyist with a few hives or managing a full apiary, our goal is simple: provide woodenware that makes beekeeping easier, more enjoyable, and more rewarding.
