By Chef Annie Greenslade
Surrounded by Texas wildflowers on a crisp Texas spring morning with the steady hum of thousands of bees beginning their intensive work, Burleson’s Honey delivered something far more immersive than a standard tasting event. This was a firsthand look into one of Texas’ most enduring agricultural legacies — and it involved stepping directly into the world of the hive.
Chef Mallory Atkins, of the beloved “Farm to Belly,” and I suited up in full beekeeping gear before approaching active hives buzzing with life. There is something simultaneously thrilling and humbling about holding a frame directly from inside a hive, completely covered with live bees still working. What initially feels chaotic quickly reveals itself to be astonishingly organized.
Burleson’s Honey knows organization. Founded in Waxahachie in 1907 by T.W. Burleson, they have become one of Texas’ most iconic honey producers. Their slogan, “Honey Done Right Since 1907,” feels particularly fitting after witnessing the extraordinary complexity behind every jar.
One of the most fascinating lessons of the morning was learning that honeybees essentially work their way through a succession of careers throughout their short lives. Young worker bees begin with safer jobs inside the hive — cleaning cells, feeding larvae, tending to the queen, and processing nectar. As they age, their responsibilities gradually shift outward. Their final role is becoming a forager, and there is a reason this assignment comes last: The first time a bee leaves the hive to forage for nectar and pollen, there is reportedly only about a fifty percent chance it will make it back alive.
Exposure to predators, weather, exhaustion, pesticides, and disorientation make foraging extraordinarily dangerous. The hive essentially entrusts its oldest workers with its riskiest task. These pollinators are far more profound than one can imagine — a sophisticated society operating with remarkable efficiency and sacrifice. Equally captivating is how democratic honeybees are.
Bees do not simply follow orders blindly. Entire colonies participate in collective decision-making, especially when swarming and selecting a new hive location. Scout bees venture out to investigate potential new homes, then return to perform what scientists call the “waggle dance,” a remarkably precise movement pattern communicating distance, direction, and quality of flower patches or potential hive sites. The angle of the dance corresponds to the angle of the sun. The duration communicates distance. The intensity conveys enthusiasm for the location. Other bees observe the dance, evaluate the information, and eventually the colony reaches consensus — effectively voting on where to relocate. They also vote for a new queen, with worker bees campaigning for certain nominees.
That same intelligence and interconnectedness carry directly into Burleson’s approach to honey production today. The company helped establish the “Go Texas” program, the now-iconic label identifying products genuinely made or grown in Texas while supporting local agriculture across the state. Burleson’s also played a foundational role in creating the National Honey Board: an organization dedicated to honey research, education, promotion, and advocacy for the honey industry nationwide. Innovation seems deeply embedded in the company’s DNA.
Burleson’s is credited with creating the now-ubiquitous flip-top honey bottle, solving generations of sticky kitchen counters with one deceptively simple invention. The company’s commitment to authenticity remains equally important today. Their honey carries the “True Source” certified label, meaning every bottle undergoes rigorous sourcing verification and auditing to ensure traceability and protect against adulterated honey entering the market. The True Source audit has become one of the industry’s most respected safeguards for transparency and ethical sourcing.
And Burleson’s honey continues finding new life across Texas through creative collaborations. Four Corners Brewing’s Local Buzz beer (my favorite local beer) is brewed using their Texas wildflower honey. Garrison Brothers Distillery incorporates Burleson’s honey into HoneyDew, one of their most distinctive bourbon expressions. The Dallas based Breaking Brew Meadery also incorporates Burleson Honey into their batches. Burleson’s also makes a local Texan lemonade with their honey, not to mention a BBQ sauce by Four Escobars. Their innovation, collaboration, and loyalty to local Texan businesses is highly impressive!
Even nationally sourced products reflect the company’s standards. Burleson’s Brazilian organic honey is available at both HEB and Kroger, bringing globally sourced organic honey to Texas consumers. Their local honey sourced from only Huajillo flowers in Southern Texas is available at Walmart. Their clover, wildflower, orange blossom, and raw Texas wildflower honey are available at HEB and Kroger.
After tasting Burleson’s Honey alongside Chef Atkins, one thing became very clear: Texas terroir does not just belong to wine anymore. Sometimes, it comes from bees. Honey is timeless, as it never expires. They even found honey in King Tut’s tomb that is still edible. My favorite ways to use honey are in banana bread to replace sugar, honey brittle candy, and as an ice cream topping. As Stacey Drab of Burleson’s Honey described perfectly, “The flavor of the Texas Wildflower honey blooms and blooms in your mouth.”
Chef Annie Greenslade was the winner of Texas Pastry Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation and placed third in the nation. She owns and operates The Sweet Life Chef. Her degree is in Culinary Arts, although awarded in Pastry Arts, and she is an Army combat veteran who served her nation for seven years.
Chef Mallory Atkins is owner and executive chef of her catering company Farm to Belly, designs “Texas with a Twist” cuisine which leans heavily on seasonal local items and western classics. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts – Dallas and then trained under professional Texas chefs, such as Chef Richard Chamberlain, Chef Connie Mullins, and Chef Kate Weiser. Mallorey has been privileged to assist in inaugural ice sculptures at the Texas State Capital and also demonstrating ice carving and recipe creation at the Texas State Fair. She has cooked for Dallas Cowboy Dak Prescott, the Hunts – Kansas City Chiefs owners, Esperanza Andrade – the former Texas Secretary of State, Taylor Sheridan, as well as the FC Dallas soccer team.
