Featured Mohawk Valley Farm: Sleepy Bear, LLC

Bee demonstrations by Scott Hart, Owner of Sleepy Bear, LLC., at the 2023 Mohawk Valley Garlic Festival • Photo by Sarah Rogers

Mohawk Valley Featured Farm: Sleepy Bear, LLC

Once again we are so pleased to share with you another local Mohawk Valley Farm! We first tried Sleepy Bear Honey in 2017 and love to purchase their natural locally produced honey products whenever we can!

Sleepy Bear, LLC owners Scott and Hillary Hart offer treatment-free Raw Honey, maple syrup, handcrafted soaps, and when you find them at local festivals and fairs, they bring with them a Honey Bee Observation Hive. Scott really enjoys teaching people about Bees! In fact, Scott was one of the instructors in a Basic Beekeeping Course I took a couple of years ago which helped spark our own interest in bees on our property.

About Sleepy Bear, LLC

Sleepy Bear, LLC was started by Scott and Hillary Hart thanks to their love of nature and desire to create natural products.

Scott’s interest in bees came from always being around them as a kid at his cousin’s dairy farm. There is nothing better than pure honey right off the comb. His interest in producing maple syrup also stems back as a young kid and now it’s something he gets to enjoy doing with his dad.

Hillary started using all natural soaps because she disliked how store bought soaps dried out her skin. She began to research different ingredients in natural soaps and learn about their properties. She first experimented with a honey hempseed soap and instantly fell in love. At that moment she knew this was something she wanted to pursue.

In their own words,

We aim to promote a healthier life, free of harmful chemicals by producing quality products, focusing on natural ingredients as much as possible.

What’s new this week

Sleepy Bear will be featuring a new soap for the 4th of July!! Follow them on Facebook for updates and sneak peaks of other new scents and projects they’re working on!

Did you know…

Scott earned his Master Beekeeping Certificate through Cornell, he was part of the first year program. He has been using genetics as a means to control varroa mites and has kept his numbers low and manageable.

We started our small business years ago when we didn’t think we were able to have children. A few years later we were blessed with not one, not two but three beautiful, healthy and energetic children over the course of just 3 years! This put a slight damper on our business plans, but it’s been a fun ride and we love every minute!!! Our children are what pushes us to continue to produce quality products such as our raw unfiltered, treatment-free honey, maple syrup, handmade soaps, deodorants, natural waterproofing, lip balms and beard balms. We continue to work on new products each year and have a few that we are hoping to offer this coming fall!

We wholesale our products which can be found at the Little Falls Community Co-op, Ace Hardware in Little Falls, Chickweed Boutique in Little Falls, Gray’s Garden & Greenhouse in St. Johnsville, Highwheeler Coffee in Fort Plain and Plain Food Co-op in Fort Plain. We also offer specialty orders and have made soaps as favors for baby showers and other events.

How to find Sleepy Bear products

The Sleepy Bear, LLC stand is located at 409 Mill Road in St. Johnsville. The opening hours are Mondays through Saturdays from 8:00am until 6:00pm.

You can also find them at the following upcoming events and markets they attend:

TWIGS in Speculator – August 8th
Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival in Little Falls – September 14th
Little Falls Cheese Festival – October 5th
Autumn Affair in Windham – October 12th and 13th

For daily updates, you can find Sleepy Bear, LLC on Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks so much to Sleepy Bear, LLC for all they do to offer locally produced all-natural bee products and maple syrup made right here the Mohawk Valley!

We love the region’s farms and farm stores and the dedicated families who operate them to produce the best locally grown products to feed and care for our families!

Learn more about Mohawk Valley Farms and Farm Stores right here on Mohawk Valley Today!