Tennessee Mountain Honey is a product line from Strange Honey Farm, a family-run apiary founded in 1983 by Gary Strange in Del Rio, Tennessee, located within the Cherokee National Forest along the French Broad River. The honey is a raw, lightly filtered wildflower blend with a light floral flavor and copper color, made from a mixture of early blooming and summer trees, bushes, and wildflowers. It is distributed regionally through Tennessee Artisan Honey (Queen Bee Pollinators) and sold nationally via Amazon and online retailers.

The Beekeeper's Story

Gary Strange started his apiary in 1983 with 100 hives in Del Rio, TN, in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Today the farm manages approximately 1,200 natural hives, harvesting pure raw honey from April through September within the pristine Cherokee National Forest — an environment not conducive to industry, commercial farming, or pesticide spraying. The farm is registered with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and subjected to unannounced state inspections and FDA honey analysis. Carol Hagen, proprietor of Queen Bee Pollinators (dba Tennessee Artisan Honey), serves as the Nashville-area distributor, delivering Strange Honey Farm's three distinct varieties — Tennessee Mountain, Dark Wildflower, and Sourwood — to Nashville chefs, boutique shops, farmers markets, and online customers across the US. Note: A 2020 class-action lawsuit (Greer v. Strange Honey Farm) alleged adulteration and false labeling; this is a known controversy associated with the brand.