The emergence of Dutch Gold Honey as one of the largest honey packing companies is an amazing story of perseverance, determination, sacrifice, and family loyalty. Even though retired, founder Ralph Gamber came into the plant daily up until his last few days. His wife, Luella, who managed the office since the companys early days, just retired in 1991. All three of Ralph and Luellas children, Bill, Marianne and Nancy, work for the company. As you can imagine, the history of the company is rich with moments of success, frustration and humor. Here are a few glimpses of the road to success for Dutch Gold Honey. It is hard to believe it was over 50 years ago that Ralph Gamber began a new, if somewhat unusual hobby, beekeeping. He had always been fascinated by honeybees, so in the spring of 1946, he bought three hives of bees at a farm sale for $27.00. Ralphs return from the farm sale with three hives of bees in the backseat of his car, definitely did not impress his wife Luella, who was allergic to bee stings and very busy raising a family. In the fall of that year, Ralph and Luella extracted and bottled the first honey crop in their kitchen. As most beekeepers quickly realize, their hives produce more honey than family and friends can eat. So what do you do with the excess but - sell it! From three hives of bees, Ralph worked his way up to over 200 colonies. Luella was busy with bottling and selling honey. Honey customers started calling at the Gambers kitchen door. Ralph wanted to make certain he never missed a sale, considering he was also a salesman at the time. Working full-time, plus the beekeeping, honey processing, packing and delivery was beginning to become overwhelming for Ralph and his family. It quickly became impossible to take care of both the bees and the honey customers.

Address: 2220 Dutch Gold Drive • Lancaster, PA 17601
Telephone: (717) 393-1716
Fax: (717) 393-8687
Website: http://www.dutchgoldhoney.com/