Today we’d like to introduce you to Armond Wilbourn.
Hi Armond, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I gained an interest in farming by way of necessity. Many of the people I love the most have died or suffered from Colon Cancer. So I started researching the causes and prevention of Colon Cancer, which led me to understand that the disease is highly preventable and mainly caused by the food we consume on a daily basis. So I said to myself, “why not grow my own food, to better control the quality and access of that food”. From there, I visited an Urban Farm in Milwaukee by the name of “Growing Power”, which was founded by whom I call The Godfather of Urban Ag, Will Allen. I took a 2-day course on everything involving compost to aquaponics. Enlightened with the knowledge I gained, I flew back to Atlanta and took a more in-depth course on Urban Ag through an organization by the name of “Truly Living Well”, which equipped me and my partners at the time with the knowledge and confidence too set out and create an Urban Garden of our own, which we named Noble Greenworks and was located in the historic West End of Atlanta. From there, we broke off and my partner at the time Tariq Cooper and I leased a plot of land in Palmetto, GA from a guy by the name of Yusef Mulwakii. Which is where we began to farm watermelon and raise hens on pasture. Through my research, I found that in order to yield a great harvest some type of pollinator is needed and the best of pollinators are honeybees. So inevitably, I purchased two colonies of honeybees and instantly fell in love with the remarkable creature.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing about agriculture or apiculture is smooth sailing. As a farmer or beekeeper, we try to control something that can’t be controlled, which is nature. It’s almost impossible to manage humans, so imagine trying to manage insects. I’ve taught myself most of what I know through trial and error. From losing my entire apiary of honeybees to starvation and mites and having to start over from scratch. Which is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Most importantly, we have to learn from our mistakes and keep moving forward.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My company name is Noble Honey Company, which was “officially” started in the year of 2020, but I began beekeeping the year of 2014. We specialize in Raw Artisan honey such Wildflower, Orange Blossom, and Sourwood Honey. We also have an infused honey which is our Hot Honey. Most large honey brands buy their honey wholesale, rebrand, and sell it at a retail price. It is our goal to produce all of the honey that we sell and eradicate the issue of “adulterated honey” in the market, which is something I’m most proud of.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in the S.W.A.T.S of Atlanta. I spent a lot of time skating at Cascade Skating Ring and hanging out at Magic Johnson Theater during the weekends. I loved being outdoors and just hanging outside from sun up to sun down. I never really had an interest in farming aside from my great-grandmother and I saving our Watermelon seeds in hopes to one day grow them. I enjoyed playing football and being in the band most of my middle school and high school career, but aside from that, it took me some years to find my true passion, which is beekeeping.
Pricing:
- Wildflower Honey 12oz: $15
- Orange Blossom Honey 12oz: $17
- Sourwood Honey 12oz: $18
- Hot Honey 12oz: $16
Contact Info:
- Website: www.noblehoneycompany.com
- Instagram: @noblehoneycompany
- Facebook: @noblehoneycompany
Image Credits
All Images Taken By: Armond Wilbourn and/or Brooke Kennedy-Wilbourn
