Called the "Cadillac of honey," Tupelo honey takes shape through a quiet miracle - bees at work, beekeepers in balance, and the fleeting bloom of the Ogeechee Tupelo tree.
Story by Ann Yungmeyer
Tupelo honey — liquid gold, fragrant and rare. Its sweetness has been sung of in Van Morrison’s croon, “she’s as sweet as Tupelo honey,” and immortalized on the silver screen in Ulee’s Gold, where Peter Fonda tended bees along the waterways of Wewahitchka, Florida. Yet the question lingers: what is Tupelo honey, and what makes it so extraordinary?
For connoisseurs, the answer begins with the bees and the terrain where they gather. This rare honey springs from the nectar of the white tupelo gum tree (Nyssa ogeche). Unlike its namesake city in Mississippi, Tupelo honey is a child of the southern Georgia wetlands and the Florida Panhandle, flourishing in the Apalachicola River Basin where white tupelo trees stand sentinel along rivers and lakes.
When spring arrives, and the trees bloom, a frenzied dance begins. Beekeepers glide their hives to shallow wetlands, sometimes on floating barges, following the fleeting blooms and the bees that sip their nectar. The window is short, and timing is everything.
Wewahitchka, Where the Gold Flows
Not far from Port St. Joe on the Gulf Coast lies Wewahitchka, affectionately called Wewa, a slice of old Florida and the heart of Tupelo honey production. Amid the town’s lush Dead Lakes swampland — made famous in Ulee’s Gold — bees hum a quiet, tireless song.
Family-owned Smiley Honey has been a cornerstone of this landscape since Donald Smiley founded it in 1989. Today, Will and Wandi Oosthuizen continue the legacy, crafting raw, unfiltered Tupelo honey alongside other varietals. Visitors at the Smiley Honey farm can suit up, explore the bee boxes, witness the honey extraction, and taste the golden fruits of the labor: Tupelo, wildflower, and more.
Each May, the town of just over 2,100 gathers for the Tupelo Honey Festival, a celebration dating to 1941. Beekeepers and honey enthusiasts share stories and sample the liquid treasure that has put Wewahitchka on the map.
Nature’s Liquid Gold
Will Oosthuizen, a South African accountant turned beekeeper, radiates passion for the craft. He speaks of Tupelo honey with reverence:
“Tupelo honey is rich in antioxidants and beneficial enzymes, and no bacteria can grow in it,” Will explains. “And, it is also good for blood sugar issues because of its high fructose ratio. Fructose is processed by the body differently from sugar, with a slow energy release.
“Since ancient times, honey has been used for medicinal and healing purposes; people have put it on cuts and taken it for stomach ulcers. The high fructose ratio also means it stays liquid; it doesn’t crystallize, so it has a long shelf life.”
