News
A Second Helping of Sweetness: Sioux Honey teams with Cub to donate 9,720 bottles of honey to Second Harvest Heartland
Sioux Honey and Cub Donate 9,720 Bottles of Honey
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn., Nov. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly 2.5 tons of honey will help stock food pantry shelves across Minnesota and western Wisconsin after Sioux Honey and grocer Cub donated 9,720 bottles of SUE BEE® honey to Second Harvest Heartland on Friday.
The honey donation – enough to fill two Zamboni tanks and coat the Minnesota Wild’s home ice – comes less than two weeks before Thanksgiving as Second Harvest Heartland, the nation’s second-largest food bank, prepares to meet record-setting demand.
The shipment included 810 cases of eight-ounce bottles on three pallets, totaling approximately 4,860 pounds of U.S.-made clover honey. It’s the beekeeper-owned cooperative’s second donation to Second Harvest Heartland, the first coming in 2024 when Sioux Honey contributed nearly 6,000 honey-bear bottles. This time, Sioux Honey and its more than 180 beekeepers teamed with Cub, Minnesota’s hometown grocer that shares the cooperative's commitment to helping neighbors in need.
Record demand, rising food insecurity
The contribution arrives amid relentless pressure on Minnesota’s emergency food system. Minnesotans made more than 9 million visits to food shelves across Minnesota in 2025. Second Harvest Heartland itself distributed more than 143 million meals and 166 million pounds of food across Minnesota and western Wisconsin in 2025 through a network of more than 1,000 nonprofit partners.
“Our beekeeper families, many multi-generational co-op members, put heartfelt care into harvesting honey and caring for the honeybees that produced it,” said Aimee Sandman of Sioux Honey Association Co-op. “And it means even more when we can help such a vital regional food bank like Second Harvest Heartland through our ongoing ‘Sharing Sweetness’ initiative.”
“With today’s donation, Sioux Honey has now donated more than 120,000 pounds of honey through the program, a milestone made possible by our beekeeper and community partners nationwide.”
Honey: a pantry staple with staying power
Versatility and a remarkably long shelf life make honey a valuable pantry staple for food banks. It requires no refrigeration, lends itself to everything from hot tea to holiday baking, and can last indefinitely when properly stored.
Honey also has deep roots in Minnesota, where the University of Minnesota was a national pioneer in beekeeping education and research – a tradition that began in 1907, when a professor there offered a course called “Elements of Beekeeping.” It's a longstanding tradition that makes the partnership between American beekeepers and Minnesota's hometown grocer especially fitting.
“At Cub, feeding our communities is at the heart of who we are,” said Carrie Higgs, Director of Community Relations at Cub. “As families across Minnesota prepare for the holidays, we're proud to partner with Sioux Honey and Second Harvest Heartland to help ensure more neighbors have access to quality food and pantry staples. It’s a meaningful example of what can happen when local organizations come together to support the communities we all call home.”
It’s precisely the kind of community partnership that helps Second Harvest Heartland meet the growing need for food assistance, said Erica Campbell, Chief Development Officer at Second Harvest Heartland.
“Food-shelf demand has remained exceptionally high, and meeting that need depends on steady support from companies and community partners,” she added. “Donations like this one help us offer more variety to the community members who rely on our network, especially as families plan their holiday meals.”
Giving to the Max
Today’s honey donation at Second Harvest Heartland’s Brooklyn Park facility comes six days before Minnesota’s “Give to the Max Day” on Nov. 19, a statewide celebration of charitable giving. The annual event encourages Minnesotans to support nonprofit organizations working to strengthen communities, including those tackling the growing challenge of food insecurity.
For Sioux Honey and its beekeepers, today’s donation is another chapter in a commitment to sharing more than the honey they harvest – it’s about the families behind every bottle and the people whose lives they can touch.
“That’s the spirit behind ‘Sharing Sweetness,’ a program built on the belief that a little generosity can go a long way,” said Sandman.
About Sioux Honey Association Co-op
Founded in 1921 by five beekeepers, Sioux Honey Association Co-op is a beekeeper-owned cooperative headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa. Its members produce American honey marketed under brands including SUE BEE®. Through its Sharing Sweetness program, the co-op works with retailers and hunger-relief organizations to help put honey on the shelves of food banks across the country. Learn more at siouxhoney.com.
About Second Harvest Heartland
Second Harvest Heartland is a regional hunger-relief organization and member of the Feeding America network serving 59 counties across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Working with more than 1,000 food-shelf and nonprofit partners, the organization helps source and distribute food while advancing long-term solutions to hunger. In 2025, it distributed 166 million pounds of food, equivalent to more than 143 million meals. Learn more at 2harvest.org.
About Cub
Founded in 1968, Cub is Minnesota's hometown grocer, dedicated to making good choices easy for the families and communities it serves. Through fresh products, honest value and everyday reliability, Cub helps shoppers find everything they need to feed their households while delivering a uniquely Minnesota shopping experience. Guided by a commitment to its communities, Cub proudly supports local organizations and initiatives that help neighbors thrive. Learn more at cub.com.
Attachment
CONTACT: Stacy Callahan Sioux Honey Association Co-op 917-972-1101 stacy@astonishmediagroup.com
