E&M Gold Beekeepers -NJ Beekeepers

Welcome to E&M Gold Beekeepers and Our Story where beekeeping is more than just a passion – it’s a family tradition. We are Ed & Mary Kosenski, the founders of E&M Gold. Our journey began back in 1997 when E&M Gold Beekeepers was born, and it’s been an exciting ride ever since.

Our love for bees was sparked by a movie that left a lasting impression on us. “Ulee’s Gold,” featuring Peter Fonda, told the tale of a beekeeper in Florida who, amidst his honey harvest, found a way to mend his troubled family. Inspired by this heartwarming story, we decided to embark on our own beekeeping adventure.

It all started shortly after our move to Tinton Falls. Ed couldn’t contain his enthusiasm and, the day after watching the movie, he made an important call to me. He shared the news that we were about to take a significant step in our lives – we were going to pick up our very first beehive from a beekeeper in Vineland, NJ.

From that moment on, E&M Gold Beekeepers became our labor of love. Our mission is not just to produce exquisite New Jersey Local Raw Honey, but also to naturally select and nurture strong and resilient honeybee colonies.

Mary at E&M Gold Beekeepers

Mary’s connection to agriculture runs deep, stemming from her upbringing in a family with a strong beekeeping tradition. Her father was a dedicated sideline beekeeper, cultivating the sweet magic of honey in both Maryland and Georgia. As she embarked on her career, Mary found herself drawn to the world of bees, a passion that eventually led her to work at the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center in Maryland.

But Mary’s journey doesn’t stop at beekeeping; she’s also the creative force behind the beeswax side of our business. With her skilled hands and a deep respect for nature’s gifts, Mary crafts exquisite beeswax taper candles, intricate beeswax figurine candles, and beautiful beeswax pillar candles.

E&M Gold Beekeepers Local Raw Honey

At E&M Gold Beekeepers, the journey of our honey begins in early June and lasts until the end of July. During this time, we are harvesting the golden nectar from our honeybees. Once collected, the delicious honey is transported back to our Honey House for extracting

Our dedication to quality means we’ve had our fair share of late-night extraction sessions. Picture this: inside the Honey House, the temperature can soar to 90 degrees as we work to bring you the finest honey. It’s all part of our commitment to delivering the best.

NJ Local Raw Honey Favors

Approximately a decade ago, five of our regular customers approached us with a request: they wanted us to create Honey Favors for their Weddings and Baby Showers. From those initial five Honey Favor customers, we embarked on a journey that has since touched the lives of over 3,000 Brides-to-Bees and Mommies-to-Bees.

Our dedication to making each wedding day a little sweeter has earned us the prestigious title of the Best of The Knot Wedding Pick for multiple years, including 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. We thank all the Brides who supported us and made it possible for us to achieve these awards!

We are Members of:

We are members of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association (NJBA), the Central Jersey Beekeepers Association (CJBA), the National Honey Board (NHB) , the New Jersey Farm Bureau and take part in the NJ Jersey Fresh program.

Honey Bee Races added to our E&M Gold Beekeepers Operation

In late 2002 we made a commitment to develop a stronger local honeybee after half of our hives died. In 2005 we began grafting queens after Ed completed Sue Cobey’s Queen Rearing course at the University of Ohio. In 2007 and 2008 Mary attended Sue Cobey’s beginning and advanced Instrumental Insemination courses at UC Davis.

Listed below, year-by-year are the races of the Western Honey Bee stock which we have added to our operation:

2003 – introduced Russian queens from Bob Brachman(NY) and Hubert Tubs Apiaries (MS).

2004– brought in Russian queens from Bob Brachman (NY) and Ray Revis(NC).

2005– brought in Russian queens from Ray Revis (NC).

2006 -conducted 1st grafting; brought in Russian queens from Bob Brachman(NY) and Ray Revis(NC). Introduced a Russian Breeder queen from Glenn Apiaries(CA).

2007 – began regular queen grafting sessions from May through August; brought in a Russian breeder queen from Glenn Apiaries(CA) and introduced Kirk Webster(VT) Russian winter nucs.

2008– brought in Glenn Aiaries (CA)Russian and Carniolan breeder queens. Conducted queen grafting sessions.

2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012 – brought in Sue Cobey (CA,WA) NWC Breeder Queens and Charlie Harper(LA) Russian queens each year.Continued seasonal grafting sessions from May through August

2013 -brought in a Sue Cobey (WA) NWC breeder queen. Continued seasonal grafting sessions from May through August. Brought in Strachan NWC queens.

2014 -brought in a Sue Cobey NWC breeder queen. Established hives with VSH John Harbo daughter queens. Continued seasonal grafting sessions from May through August. Brought in Strachan NWC queens

2015 – brought in VSH Queens. Continued seasonal grafting sessions from May through August. Brought in Strachan NWC queens

2016 – brought in VSH Queens and Strachan NWC queens

2017 – brought in Strachan NWC queens

2018 – brought in Strachan NWC queens

2019 – brought in Strachan NWC queens

2020- brought in Strachan NWC queens

2023- brought in Strachan NWC queens