These local beekeepers have honey in their veins

Tending to his honeybee hives imbued Eugene Woller with a never-ending sense of wonder. The legendary Madison-area beekeeper started Gentle Breeze Honey after falling in love with beekeeping while participating in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Farm and Industry Short Course program in 1965. Woller and his wife, Donna, were early vendors at the Dane County Farmers’ Market, selling their honey products for the first time in 1973 — a year after the market began.

“Most people either love selling honey or they love producing honey, but they don’t want to do both, and that’s what really set [Eugene] apart,” says Cathy Woller, co-owner of Gentle Breeze Honey and Eugene and Donna Woller’s daughter-in-law.

For many years, Eugene Woller worked third shifts at plastic thermoforming plants Monday through Thursday. He’d sleep a few hours, then work with the bees during the day, plus Fridays and weekends. It wasn’t until the 1990s that he decided to take his beekeeping hobby full time.

As much as he loved the work, he most enjoyed talking shop with other hobbyists and educating people about beekeeping. At the farmers’ market, Woller stood near Gentle Breeze Honey’s “observation hive,” passionately explaining the inner workings of the beehive to passersby. His son, Tim Woller, says, “I think my dad realized really early on that it was just such a special thing that he was able to be a part of and learn from and grow in his entire life.”

Tim Woller was 10 or 11 years old when he started helping his dad with the family’s hobby beekeeping venture. Two decades then passed before he joined his dad back in the bee yards.

After Tim retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2015, he and his wife, Cathy, began learning the ropes of the business to eventually transition into leadership. “It was really special for him and his dad to share almost seven and a half years pretty much working side by side,” says Cathy Woller.

But three weeks after the couple officially took over 100% ownership of Gentle Breeze Honey (after being co-owners with Eugene and Donna for five years), Eugene Woller died.

Over Gentle Breeze’s 52 years, the honey company has grown to include more than 800 hives spread around 25 locations in five counties and has landed clients as big as Epic Systems. It’s a considerable legacy, and one that the Wollers feel a responsibility to carry on. “[Eugene] was a master, [but] he was humble enough to know he hadn’t mastered it,” says Cathy. It's a memory that makes Tim Woller become emotional. “Just like we have blood in our veins, he had honey in his veins,” he says.

Emma Waldinger is associate editor at Madison Magazine. Christine Dopp is a Lake Mills-based freelance photographer.

This article originally appeared in the July 2024 issue of Madison Magazine with the headline “Honey in Their Veins.” Subscribe today .

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