The Bald Eagle FFA in Bellefonte, Pa., launched a successful student-run business after using honey from a member’s family apiary to produce a unique product: Hometown Honey Vinaigrette.
After members of the Bald Eagle FFA realized the lettuce grown in their hydroponics lab tasted bitter due to the lack of natural light, they decided to create a sweet salad dressing to complement it, with the main ingredient — honey — produced in chapter member Michael Lewis’ family beekeeping operation, Lewis Apiary.
The dressing, now known as Hometown Honey Vinaigrette, debuted at a luncheon highlighting products grown or produced by agricultural education students.
It was so popular that many guests requested the recipe. That’s when Bald Eagle FFA advisor Todd Biddle knew his students had created something special.
On a mission to bottle and sell their new product, Bald Eagle FFA members secured a grant from the Pennsylvania FFA Foundation to assist with start-up costs.
An area business, Village Eatinghouse, also stepped in to support the chapter. Owners Clay and Melanie Phillips generously offered access to their production facilities, as well as guidance and advice regarding product development.
The first bottle of Hometown Honey Vinaigrette was produced Sept. 27, 2022, at Village Eatinghouse, with honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and oil.
In addition to the product’s honey, much of its oil is produced locally. Susquehanna Mills Co., based in Muncy, Pa., helped students collect oils, all of which are produced by local crops, while also teaching them how to properly examine oil specimens to create a quality marinade.
Hometown Honey Vinaigrette is currently produced and promoted by two teams of students, led by Biddle.
The production team — consisting of Owen Dechow, Michael Lewis, Talon Thompson, Faith Crestani, Cazra Bainey, Alabama Jukes, Gracie Collins, Adra Spotts, Maksim Shapich and Riley Bartley — handles everything from mixing ingredients and taste-testing to bottling and packaging.
Meanwhile, the creative marketing team of Isaac Dechow, Connor Maney and Kaden Markle produces eye-catching promotional materials to advertise the product. This team is supported and mentored by Renee Kredell, an art teacher at Bald Eagle Area Middle and High School. Kredell also assisted the Bald Eagle art students in designing the Hometown Honey Vinaigrette bottle label.
Still exclusively made with honey from Lewis Apiary, Hometown Honey Vinaigrette is available for purchase at Bald Eagle Area Middle and High School (must be ordered before pickup in the attendance office Monday through Friday); Valley Ace Hardware in Milesburg, Pa.; A Basket Full in Boalsburg, Pa.; and Martin’s Feed Mill in Coburn, Pa.
Jeff Warner, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, has called Hometown Honey Vinaigrette a “gold standard” product.
During National FFA Week this year, Warner met with Bald Eagle FFA members to strategize additional ways to market their product while also discussing the development of future Hometown-branded products.
As Hometown Honey Vinaigrette’s presence has grown, so has the Bald Eagle FFA Chapter,and Biddle is confident they’re just getting started.
“More and more kids want to be involved, and our community continues to support us by both selling and buying our products,” Biddle says. “When we share our story at outreach events, you can see people light up; they’re so impressed by what our chapter is doing, and they want to be part of it. We can’t wait to see where this goes in the years to come.”
