Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Brooks. She shares her story with us below:
Danielle Brooks loves drinking tea, especially with honey. One day she thought how awesome it would be to have her hive to harvest from, so she started researching bees and how to keep them. After checking out every book in the library on the subject, she decided to jump in with both feet.
Struck with inspiration, Danielle began looking for the perfect business partner and found it in a vintage truck she now sells honey from at events and pop-ups all over St. Augustine. The mission of Honey Truck is to educate others about honey bees, native pollinators, and ways we can help conserve their habitats. What started with one beehive quickly turned into a full-scale business.
Danielle now maintains multiple hives all over the city of St. Augustine, as well as partnering with other small-scale beekeepers across the state. She is a Master Beekeeper through the University of Florida’s Master Craftsman Beekeeper Program and is an active member of the St. Johns County Beekeepers Association. Danielle is also a Certified Honey Judge and has won multiple awards for her honey in competitions across Florida.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to beekeeping and selling honey. As any business owner will tell you, it has undoubtedly been challenging. From figuring out how to move 600lb barrels around the production room floor to adding UPCs to labels, it has been a series of fun challenges growing the Honey Truck.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The Honey Truck hinges everything on our trustworthiness. We maintain beehives in and around St. Augustine. If we do not produce honey, we know the beekeeper. We know their practices, where their hives are, etc. We are fully honest with our clients about their honey sources. What also makes us unique is our fleet of retro trucks. Danielle may be the hands and feet of the company, but the real stars of the show are her cherry red 1962 and 1963 Ford Econoline trucks. She lovingly named them Glennda and Kennedy, respectively. Kennedy was the first Honey Truck. Danielle had no idea how to drive a manual, much less a 3 on the tree, but she worked hard and is now a wiz. She was found on Craigslist in Spring Hill, Fl. She lovingly named Kennedy after President John F. Kennedy, a huge advocate for the space program, and committed America to sending a man to the moon. He was assassinated in 1963. Glennda gets her name from John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth thrice in 1962. After several years and not looking for a new Honey Truck, Danielle and her family were driving through Palatka when Rich, her husband, spotted the red Econoline with a for sale sign in the window. It was too good of a deal to pass up. Everything on the Honey Trucks has meaning, even down to the license plate. The license plates are original tags that were issued in St. Johns County. Back in the day, the first number of the plate represented the size of the county in which the vehicle was registered. In 1963 St. Johns County was the 20th largest county in Florida. Glennda and Kennedy have resurrected pieces of history that get a second chance at life in the Oldest City.
Can you talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy?
It brings me joy to teach others about honeybees, native bees, and ways to be a bee advocate.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.honeytruck.com
- Instagram: honeytruckco
- Facebook: honeytruckco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HoneyTruckCo
Image Credits
Dana Tilton, Jen Bakos, Sara Ayesh,
