Glorybee’s All-Natural Flavored HoneyStix has a lot to celebrate in 2011. This year not only marks their 25^th anniversary, but they have sold over 18 million HoneyStix around the world. HoneyStix boast the convenience of on-the-go snacking and the benefits of a wholesome natural snack.

The company recently answered a few questions from BakingWithHoney.com about the success of HoneyStix.

When were HoneyStix first launched, and how did the idea come about?

After our founder Dick Turanski first discovered honey packed in straws that were called “HoneyStix” at a roadside store in 1986, he became inspired. The inspiration came from his love for honey and his experience working on a peppermint farm in his youth. Naturally, he got creative and realized that adding peppermint oil to honey had delicious results. Thus, GloryBee All-Natural Flavored HoneyStix were launched in 1986 and the rest became history. That successful experiment was the foundation of more All-Natural flavors to come as GloryBee currently offers 24 different flavors of HoneyStix. In 2011, GloryBee is celebrating the 25th anniversary of HoneyStix, with a new anniversary flavor (the 25th flavor) to be announced later in the year.

Where can you buy HoneyStix (supermarkets, convenience stores, etc.), and how are the products positioned (for example, as a snack, candy, hot beverage flavoring, energy boost)?

HoneyStix are available at grocery stores, natural foods stores, farmers’ markets, country fairs, candy stores, coffee & teashops, convenience stores and direct from GloryBee. Consumers purchase them as a natural snack and candy. Since HoneyStix are the perfect portable sweetener, many people use them to sweeten beverages such as tea and coffee. They work great in hot beverages, as they not only provide an all-natural sweetener, but a stir stick as well. They are also a good source of energy on the go.

What are the flavor and functional benefits of honey, and why does the ingredient serve as the ideal foundation for all of your flavored products?

Since Dick started as a beekeeper and honey producer, he was always looking for other ways to sell honey. His experience growing up on a peppermint farm in Albany Oregon combined with his stumbling upon HoneyStix in 1986 created a natural marriage of combining the two to develop a flavored sweet treat. Honey has many varieties and they come in a wide range of sweetness, color and richness. For HoneyStix we chose a light, sweet, mild variety as the base for flavoring which allows the all-natural flavors and colors to really pop! Honey is also great for absorbing and retaining the flavors.

What are the benefits of honey in relation to providing energy for athletes?

As a sports fuel, honey is a proven success. It has a natural mix of glucose and fructose. Although glucose speeds energy through the blood, it also causes sugar spikes and crashes. Fructose is a great slow-burning sugar, but is hard for the body to digest efficiently. The mix of glucose and fructose in honey allow quick energy through glucose. Fructose helps slow the absorption of glucose to prevent sugar spikes, and glucose helps the body efficiently process fructose.

Looking forward, how do you anticipate HoneyStix evolving to meet current trends?

We believe that all-natural HoneyStix are a timeless treat and on-the-go sweetener. As consumers are becoming increasingly health-conscious, we hope to meet the growing demand for natural candies and sweeteners by making HoneyStix available to even more people in more all-natural flavors and point of sell packaging options nationwide. We continue to expand the way we can package and offer HoneyStix. In addition, HoneyStix are a great way to promote awareness and support for bees. With over 24 all-natural flavors, there are always flavors to appeal to both kids and adults.

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