On the Road to Reno: Sourcing American Honey from Coast to Coast

The truck is loaded, the pre-dawn mist is still hanging over our fields in East Tennessee, and the odometer is about to log a few thousand miles.

At 06:00 AM this morning, Tristan and I officially pulled out of Foxadise Farms to head west toward Reno, Nevada for the 2026 CSBA + AHPA Joint Convention.

For commercial beekeepers, annual conventions are essential for staying grounded in bee health research, trade policies, and hive management. But rather than treating this cross-country trek like a standard interstate haul, we’re treating it as an active discovery mission: visiting long-standing partners, scouting unique American Honey Varietals, and learning from operators who share our commitment to ethical, high-standard beekeeping.

The Western Run: Prairies, Peaks, and Production

Our outbound route takes us north through Wisconsin before cutting west across the upper plains along the I-94 corridor:

 * Wisconsin Heritage: Our first working stop on Monday morning is with our partners at Honey Acres. Walking through an operation that has spent generations mastering honey-based confections and packaging offers incredible insight into value-added craftsmanship.

 * The Northern Plains & Badlands: From Wisconsin, we’ll trace I-94 straight across North Dakota and eastern Montana, following the historical migration corridors of migratory commercial beekeepers who run summer flows in the northern clover.

 * Winter Gateways of Yellowstone & Grand Teton: Passing south toward Bozeman and through the winter gateways of the Rockies, we’ll be observing late-season forage landscapes and cold-weather apiary management.

 * High-Mountain Beekeeping in Utah: Before reaching Nevada, we’ll visit Slide Ridge Honey & Winery in Mendon, Utah. Seeing their multi-thousand-colony setup and tasting how high-mountain wildflower nectar translates into specialized barrel-aged honey wine vinegars is exactly the kind of innovation that elevates the entire honey industry.

By Sunday, November 15, we pull into the Peppermill in Reno to stage for four days of intensive industry sessions, trade floor exhibits, and board commitments.

The Return: Red Rocks, Glamping, and Specialty Food Benchmarks

Once convention gavels fall, the education doesn’t stop. The eastward journey heads south through Nevada into Las Vegas, followed by an exploration of the Southwest:

 * High-Desert & Canyon Country: We’ll spend a couple of nights testing year-round luxury glamping stays across southern Utah’s red-rock mesas near Zion and Escalante, looking closely at how boutique hospitality integrates regional agricultural storytelling.

 * The Southern Corridor: Cutting east across the Colorado Rockies and down along historic Route 66, we’ll examine regional monofloral honey sources like desert blossom and alfalfa, with a planned retail benchmark visit to Lovera’s Italian Market in Krebs, Oklahoma, to study how family-owned brands merchandise specialty foods at scale.

Follow the Discovery

Great Honey doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It comes from healthy Bees, responsible Land Stewards, and Commercial Beekeepers dedicated to getting it right.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing field notes, behind-the-scenes snapshots from our visits, and dispatches from the convention floor right here and on our social channels.

Have a favorite spot along our path?

If you know a standout honey house, an unforgettable roadside kitchen, or a hidden agricultural landmark along I-94, through the northern Rockies, or across the southern plains, leave a comment and point us in the right direction.

And while Tristan and I are out on the road, our home hives and online shelves are open—you can explore our current curated lineup of American-sourced Honey Varietals anytime at Foxadise.com.

See you down the road.