Staff Sargent Eric Grandon, USA, Retired, is a Disabled Combat Veteran and a beekeeper. Eric and his wife Mary are first generation farmers with their daughter Abigail and run Sugar Bottom Farm, LLC. Eric has a vast knowledge of honeybees and honey production having completed a 2 1/2 year Honey-Bee-Internship and is 1 of 2 certified instructors for the WV Department of Agriculture’s Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program, has trained 500 beekeepers in WV, and has taught beginning beekeeping classes and currently mentors beekeepers in WV, NC, Washington D.C., GA, WA, and HI.
In 2014, Sugar Bottom Farm was formed in Clay County, WV as a way to combat stressors associated with Eric’s war deployments during his 20-year career with the US Army. He began producing molasses as part of the Veterans and Warrior to Agriculture program, which he found helped combat stressors and war related effects. As the farm developed, Eric added honeybees, produce, and layers to their line to help diversify products. Eric’s Honey-Bee business began to grow and transitioned into a full-service Honey-Bee Farm in 2017 with the additional sales of honey-bee equipment and supplies with bee-sales. In 2019 he added raw honey and Honey-Bee-Value-Added products. They have successfully grown the company and now have 16 retail locations that carry products in 5 WV counties and 1 location in Ohio. They participate in a Washington DC Farmers Market, received an opportunity to sell on the Veteran’s administration’s E-commerce Canteen Services and signed a contract with GovX e-commerce website with over 4.3 million subscribers. Growth was overwhelming Eric and Sugar Bottom Farm!
Eric and his wife Mary found out about the FASTER WV Program at the WV Small Farms conference. Months later, they tuned in for a FASTER WV Small Manufacturing Webinar. After that, Eric began business coaching with WV SBDC & FASTER WV Coach Robbie Parker, took not just one, but both of the FASTER WV free online classes to build better business/entrepreneurial skills. He tapped into resources at RCBI Flexible Manufacturing to assess his honey-value-added manufacturing processes and made adaptive changes to help his growing business. The FASTER Program shared with him a host of resources and he took advantage of every single one.
Eric credits FASTER WV with too much, as he is a motivated and enthusiastic seller/entrepreneur, but our program help seemed to arrive at the perfect time for him to accept help, pivot in several ways, and apply for a $50,000 loan to build and equip a new Honey processing, packaging and storage facility. Goals include the addition of 75 more colonies, investment in a new large ATV to help facilitate movement and harvest of the colonies on our farm and outlying Honey-bee yards, while seeking out new employees and veterans. Eric’s goal is to provide employment for 5 additional people and for Sugar Bottom Farms to have a larger presence in national ecommerce market and be able to compete for government contracts.
Beekeeping is a lifesaving form of therapy for Eric Grandon, a U.S. Army disabled combat veteran who suffers from PTSD after 20 years in combat. With the help of the FASTER WV Program, Eric will be able to expand his successful business operation and increase honey sales while continuing to invite other trauma survivors to his farm so they too can experience the healing powers of beekeeping.
Here are some of Eric’s own words after participating in a FASTER WV webinar, utilizing FASTER WV free business coaching through the WV SBDC, taking not one but two FASTER WV entrepreneurship classes, and receiving a $50,000 FASTER WV loan.
“I can’t thank you enough for all your help. This program has been the best thing we’ve ever participated in. It’s a literal one stop shop for small business.”
“You have no idea the impact you and everyone associated with FASTER WV has made for our business and our lives. Please know that the system you have in place really works. At least for someone willing to move a mountain to succeed. Tell everyone with FASTER WV I said thanks for all you do for Sugar Bottom Farm.”