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About Us

Philip & katie wimmler - owners

Sunset Apiaries was started in 2003 with a simple high school project. Philip was a Freshman at Sheboygan Falls High School and had enrolled in a class called "Introduction to Agriculture." One assignment for the class was to find a product that was "Something Special from Wisconsin."

During this time, Philip was working in the kitchen at a local cafe in Waldo. A regular customer who frequented the cafe, Dave Foster, lived in the area and kept honeybees. One day while working a shift at the cafe, Philip decided to sit down and talk with Dave about bees and his experiences working and tending to them. After this conversation, Philip decided that honey would be the product to present to the class.

The interest sparked by this project didn't stop once completed. Philip continued to speak with Dave about honeybees and the next year in school, he presented on honeybees again for another class. Philip continued to read and research on bees along with learning the basics of beekeeping from Dave. In time, he learned the importance of pollination, how to manage a hive of honeybees, and of course how to produce and harvest honey.

Today, Philip along with his wife Katie and their family, run 200 hives in Elkhart Lake and the surrounding areas. The majority of the honey produced comes from basswood trees, black locust, and yellow and white clover. Philip and Katie strive to maintain healthy honeybees and produce a quality, natural honey for their customers. They have also expanded their farm operation to include raising beef cattle and hogs for meat production.