Tools

Labor of Love for Local Beekeeper

by KREX News Room
by John Dias

Story Created: Sep 3, 2012 at 5:24 AM MDT

Story Updated: Sep 3, 2012 at 9:24 PM MDT

PALISADE, Colo.- As most folks celebrate Labor Day with a day off from work, some are staying as busy as bees.

Toni Fronczek, owner of Horsethief Mesa, works hard tending to his bees almost every day of the week. However, he says it's easy because he has turned his work into a labor in love.

“I just always wanted to have bees,” said Fronczek.

Since coming from Florida and settling in De Beque, Toni has been beekeeping for more than six years.

He says the worst he has been stung was 17 times at once, but he still loves his bees.

“Everyone would go, 'I love the honey.' I love the natural honey, the raw honey, it tastes so good,” said Fronczek. “It's not like what we have in stores.”

Toni then started looking into doing something new with his hobby.

“It was just a weird thing,” said Fronczek. “I was thinking this maybe an opportunity to do a little business.”

As a result, Toni turned his infatuation with beekeeping into a job and eventually started up his company, Horsethief Mesa.

“I love the product, I love what it does,” said Fronczek. “I place my bees in different areas.”

Toni has positioned his 40 hives all over the Grand Valley, not just to conjure up different flavors, but for his customers' health reasons.

“Because supposedly, which it works, people actually take honey from their locale and it helps them with their allergies,” said Fronczek.

“The fact that it's raw, it is local, so it's better for your allergies because you are pulling from what you would be allergic to,” said Ruth Elkins, co-owner of Sprigs and Sprouts, a local Palisade shop that sells Horsethief Mesa honey.

With 10 different locations from Fruita to Hayden, Toni’s honey is getting more popular around the valley.

For more information on Horsethief Mesa, click here.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KREX - News, Weather, Sports for Grand Junction | Montrose | Glenwood Springs - Coverage You Can Count On and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

Most Popular
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
News Channel 5 Weather