To produce a pound of honey, it takes a colony of bees approximately two million flower visits to collect nectar. On average, a single bee will produce one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.¹

Once upon a time in Japan, there was an art student from Osaka named Yuki Uzuhashi who was studying sculpture at Kyoto Seika University. In 2003, as his graduation day approached, Yuki did a curious thing. He took a step in an unexpected direction and chose to focus on a very different passion—quite an extraordinary one, as you will see.

The Enchantment

When Yuki was nineteen, he traveled to Jamaica to visit a friend and had an eye-opening encounter with bees. This impactful experience of harvesting honey from a wild bee colony sparked his fascination with honey and beekeeping.

Back in Kyoto, while browsing in a specialty shop, Yuki noticed jars of citrus honey and other flavors on the shelves. “I used to think there was only one flavor of honey,” said Yuki, as he recalled that day in the shop. “It amazed me to find out that there were so many flavors of honey from different flowers and regions.”

Interested in knowing how honey is harvested, Yuki learned from his grandfather about migratory beekeepers who travel from southern to northern Japan, following the blooming path of flowers that attract honeybees. “When I heard of those harvesters, I visualized their interactions with the bees and seasonal flowers as poetry in motion. Their lifestyle inspired me to become a beekeeper. I wanted to showcase the beauty of nature using beekeeping as a medium for my art,” explained Yuki.

To Bee or Not to Bee

Yuki checks the beehives at one of his apiaries. Each box contains 10 vertical slats called frames. Frames are taken to the production facility in order to extract the honey.

Eager to pursue his newfound passion, Yuki began searching for a way to learn the ins and outs of beekeeping. He finally found a company in the phone book and worked as an apprentice for nearly two years. In 2005, he started his own beekeeping company, Uzuhachi Apiaries (hachi means bee) in Hyogo Prefecture, with the help of his grandmother.

Four years later, Yuki felt he needed to spread his wings and experience new challenges. In 2009, he saw a magazine ad seeking crew members to deliver a sailboat from Yokohama to San Francisco with the possibility of participating in the Transpacific Yacht Race. He jumped at the chance and applied. Surprisingly, he was chosen without having any experience in sailing!

The Adventure Begins

With the exception of a few bouts of seasickness, Yuki quickly acclimated to sailing. Nevertheless, after forty days on the ocean, he was eager to set foot on land again. The boat arrived safely in San Francisco and the crew was welcomed by members of a Japanese sailing club.

Among the club members was Erika Ota, originally from Tokyo, who had moved to the Bay Area to study and live abroad. While the boat was being repaired for the upcoming race, Yuki crossed paths with Erika at several group dinners. He also happily explored the city whenever he could and became enamored with its multifaceted culture.

“As for the race, I was lucky to have been selected as a crew member. It was very exciting and Hawai‘i was the destination, so it was all good,” noted Yuki.

During his two months in Hawai‘i, a friend introduced him to Michael Kliks, the founder of Mānoa Honey Company. While doing beekeeping work and helping out at farmers’ markets, Yuki became better acquainted with Michael. Needless to say, it was a fortuitous meeting for both men.

The City of Love

Before long, Yuki noticed that he couldn’t stop thinking about San Francisco. Curious to find out the depth of his feelings, he booked a flight and stayed there for several months. During his visit, he confirmed that he did indeed feel a strong connection to the city.

If you are interested in a unique experience, the Bees to Mead Tour is an engaging introduction into beekeeping, honey production, and mead making. Or how about the Craft Mead Tasting experience that currently offers two options for a six-set varietal tasting? Pictured here: Mitsuki likes to help his father during summer breaks.

With that realization, he returned to Japan to wrap up his business commitments. In 2011, he left Hyogo Prefecture and moved to San Francisco. By this time, his relationship with Erika had blossomed into love and in 2012, they were married. The following year, their son Mitsuki was born.

In high spirits and confident of his new business idea, Yuki put his plans into action. Using a portable display, he featured his honey products at craft markets and ran a mobile cocktail bar at various venues. But despite all of his efforts, sales were slow. Feeling embarrassed and somewhat depressed, he reluctantly concluded that his idea was a dead end.

A Beekeeper’s Paradise 

In the midst of figuring out what to do next, Yuki suddenly remembered Michael Kliks and his talk of retirement. He reached out to Michael and fortunately, the timing was perfect. In January 2014, Yuki and Erika became the new owners of Mānoa Honey Company. One of their first decisions was to move the production facility from Mānoa Valley to Wahiawā, where they found a more spacious place to live and operate their business.

Yuki, Mitsuki, and Erika Uzuhashi in their retail shop, December 2020.

Yuki said the first several years were very hectic while they adapted to owning a business in Hawai‘i. Finally after the fourth year, there was a steady growth in sales. But in 2020 when the pandemic hit, they lost about 80 percent of their honey sales. This time, however, Yuki was determined to turn the situation around.

Mead is widely considered to be the oldest alcoholic beverage. From the left: Punch 4, Ginger Honey Hopper, Pineapple Sour, and Lilikoi Session.

Back in 2018, Yuki obtained a liquor license for his new mead making project. He learned about mead, an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of honey with water and yeast, by enrolling in a mead production course at UC Davis.

With the lockdown in place, he was able to focus on producing a line of mead, which debuted in May 2020. That same year, the company was renamed Mānoa Honey & Mead.

Currently, Mānoa Honey & Mead offers a full lineup of raw honey, honey infusions, natural honeycomb, honey soap, and wellness products such as royal jelly honey. Yuki and Erika take pride in owning the only craft meadery on O‘ahu. In 2023, their efforts were rewarded when five of their meads received awards, including four medals from the Mazer Cup International Mead Competition (MCI). MCI is not only the largest mead competition in the US, but their awards are considered to be the most prestigious in the mead industry.

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LK: Let me begin by saying congratulations on Mānoa Honey & Mead’s 10th anniversary!

YU: Thank you very much! Erika and I are very appreciative of the tremendous support from our family and friends, companies that we do business with, and the local community. We are especially grateful to our customers for placing their trust in our products.

LK: How would you compare doing business in Japan versus Hawai‘i?

YU: As you know, Japan is a monocultural society that has traditional ways on how to do things. It is still common to seek lifetime employment at bigger companies as salarymen or white-collar employees. In contrast, not many people take risks to start their own businesses.

In the Japanese business environment, making mistakes are more unacceptable than in the US. We are taught to obey rules and not think too much outside of the box; it is part of our shitsuke (discipline, training). Simply put, as long as you adhere to the rules, you will most likely survive in the business world. But at the same time, this mentality can be a reason why there is less diversity in the business culture.

Hawai‘i, on the other hand, is more diverse due to its multicultural society. With so many different ethnicities, the mindset is more individualistic and independent. Thus, the approach to problem-solving is diverse and it feels that there is always a way to make things work.

Also, in general, there is encouragement to take risks and challenges for higher goals. That is why we see more successful young entrepreneurs creating dynamic business cultures.

LK: Do you have a preference?

YU: I prefer Hawai‘i’s business environment of flexibility and forgiveness as well as having more options of finding ways to solve a problem when it arises. Although … it would be great to have the best of both Japanese and American business practices!

LK: Yes, I agree. How would you describe your mead?

Mānoa Honey & Mead’s kiawe honey has a slight smoky flavor with a silky smooth texture. Honey, when sealed in an airtight container and properly stored, never expires. The world’s oldest honey, estimated to be about 5,500 years old, was found in 2003 in the country of Georgia.²

YU: Our mead is made from our own honey and the honey from our beekeeper friend on the Island of Hawai‘i. It is co-fermented with locally sourced ingredients such as liliko‘i (passion fruit), Java plum, and pineapple. Our sparkling meads are light alcohol by volume (ABV), have mild and crisp bubbles with a tropical fruit bouquet, and are not too sweet—just the perfect amount of sweetness of honey at the finish. Aromatic and refreshing, the taste of paradise can be enjoyed in every bottle. In 2022, we debuted our traditional still meads that are uncarbonated and are higher in alcohol content.

LK: What are three interesting facts about your company?

YU: First, we are the only commercial scale beekeeping business on O‘ahu. We have eight apiaries where our beehives are kept. Each apiary has thirty to forty hives. Depending on the season and the area, one hive produces between 80 and 120 pounds of honey. Second, there are very few meaderies in the US that are honey producers and mead makers at the same time. And third, we have a music playlist specifically curated to each variety of mead. If you scan the QR code on the label with your phone, it takes you to the music that goes along with the mead.

LK: Are you working on a new collaboration?

YU: Yes, we have been collaborating with Kō Hana Distillers to develop a distillate of mead, which will be sold as honey brandy. It is still being aged in barrels and will be ready in a couple of years.

LK: Looking back, can you name a few events in your life that are especially meaningful?

YU: Starting beekeeping in Japan in 2003, sailing across the Pacific in 2009, and moving to Hawai‘i with our ten-month-old son in 2013 are all very meaningful to me. I would not be living here as a Shin-Issei without these main events.

LK: Is there a project that you would like to accomplish in the near future?

YU: I would like to open a tasting room and retail location in town that will showcase what we do to the world.

LK: Last question, what do you like best about beekeeping?

YU: I like to feel the connection between bees, plants, and humans. As a beekeeper, artist, and mead maker, I am deeply appreciative of nature’s wonders.

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Happily Ever After

Reflecting on Yuki’s story, it brings to mind what someone once told me: There is no such thing as failure; you either succeed or you learn what to do for the next try. And that, my dear readers, is exactly what Yuki did.

*All photos courtesy of Mānoa Honey & Mead.

Notes:

1. Ailsa Harvey, “How Do Bees Make Honey? From the Hive to the Pot,” Live Science, May 2, 2023.

2. Harmony Colangelo, “The World’s Oldest Jar of Honey is from 3500 BC,” Tasting Table, March 3, 2023.

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Mānoa Honey & Mead website: https://www.manoahoney.com

© 2024 Lois Kajiwara