Meet Our Family

Hello! We are the Bay family, Justin, Kavita, Cy, & Sujatha.

We live in the beautiful Clark Fork Valley in Western Montana, and are grateful to live in such a remote and beautiful place. We enjoy being outdoors, growing our own food, spending time with family and friends, and most of all keeping bees. We love the work we do and take pleasure in doing it as a family. We take pride in working hard and being a farm to table operation.

We are proud to be members of a growing community of small farmers dedicated to producing local and sustainable products.

Our mission is to strive for environmental sustainability in our beekeeping practices...

to educate and foster understanding and appreciation of honey bees through community outreach and youth programs, and to provide the purest quality raw honey and handcrafted honey skin care products from our hives to our community.

When Kavita and Justin got married, a friend jokingly called it a “Hindu Hillbilly wedding.” It stuck. Kavita is East Indian and Hindu, Justin’s from the South, and they met in the small town of Alberton, Montana. Over the years, the nickname became part of their story, so when they decided to start their apiary, Hindu Hillbilly Honey just felt right.
We run about 800 hives, give or take. The number is always changing, it’s normal for beekeepers to experience losses anywhere from 10–30%. We do our best to keep things steady, but weather, disease, and pests can all play a part. In the spring, we usually make up for any losses by splitting strong hives and growing our numbers back up.
Yes, our bees do just fine through the winters, as long as they’re properly cared for. They need good insulation, solid ventilation, a healthy population, and plenty of honey stored up to get them through those cold months. With the right setup and a bit of luck from Mother Nature, they make it through strong.
Our journey into beekeeping started with simple curiosity and a desire to live more closely with the seasons and the land. What began as a few backyard hives quickly grew into a full-fledged way of life, and eventually, a business. We started out as hobbyists and ended up buying a small apiary from an old-timer in Darby, Montana. We began with 50 hives and have grown from there. It’s been quite a learning experience, beekeeping isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes grit, patience, and a lot of trial and error, but the rewards and the beauty we get to experience everyday makes it worth every minute..
We love that our work changes with the seasons, it keeps us in tune with the rhythm of nature. Every day brings something different, and that connection keeps us grounded. We also love being part of our community in a meaningful way, helping connect people to the food and products they use. Working outdoors, caring for these incredible little creatures, and learning from them every day, that’s what keeps us inspired.