North Dallas Honey Co.

No one could have possibly predicted that a completely random T.V. commercial featuring a woman in a bee suit would permanently change the face of North Dallas Honey. The year was 1996. Newlyweds: Nathan and Patty Sheets, eager to begin their new lives together, decided they needed a hobby. Running out of ideas, Nathan, late one night, found what he thought to be the perfect solution. A Lady in a bee suite appeared on the T.V. screen and boldly stated that you could literally find anything on the internet. Fascinated with curiosity and accepting the lady's challenge, Nathan made a beeline for the computer.

"So I googled bee keeping dallas", says Nathan, "and up popped North Dallas Honey Company." Completely enthralled, Nathan contacted Fred Richardson (the founder and owner of NDH at the time), bought a hive, and placed the hive in his parents backyard in Plano, TX. Intrigued with his new hobby, Nathan soon found himself assisting elderly Mr. Richardson with North Dallas Honey in any way that he could. At the time, Fred only had 100 hives; however, as his small company rapidly grew, he partnered with local bee keepers to ensure that he had enough honey for the few Tom Thumb stores where North Dallas Honey was sold. Nathan, the proud owner of an ad agency, sacrificed time in the mornings before work, at night after work, and on the weekends to aid Mr. Richardson who produced, packed, and shelved NDH himself.

After a year of helping Fred Richardson with North Dallas Honey, life at the Sheet's home had turned completely upside town. In February of 1997, Nathan went on his first Mission trip with E3 Ministries to Venezuela. The trip completely transformed Nathan's life, and he knew that God was calling him to be on staff with a ministry that he had financially supported since 1995. As if this major life change for the Sheets wasn't enough for one year, in the summer of 1997, Fred Richardson began talking with Nathan about retiring and selling him the North Dallas Honey Company. By September of 1997, Nathan Sheets had become the owner of NDH and had placed his new company on the road to prosperity by focusing on distribution and hiring a distribution company and by not focusing on beekeeping but instead partnering with more local bee keepers to fulfill the company's need for local honey. North Dallas Honey began to grow almost immediately going from only a few Tom Thumbs to all 83, and soon talks with Albertson's and Kroger began.

Even though North Dallas Honey began to grow at an astonishing rate under Nathan's ownership and leadership, Nathan's calling to E3 Ministry's occupied the majority of his time and focus. Over the next twelve years at E3, while his honey company slowly continued to expand, Nathan was used by God in spectacular ways and was taught many truths, which he gladly incorporated into North Dallas Honey. In the summer of 2010, Nathan felt a different call, a call to retire from E3 and begin focusing on North Dallas Honey full time. After months of prayer, Nathan did exactly that. When asked about North Dallas Honey, Nathan had this to say, "Like I tell my kids. We are not in business; we are in ministry. God just gave us a different platform." And a rather large platform at that. North Dallas Honey now provides raw and unfiltered honey in every grocery store in North Texas from Waxahachie to Wichita Falls and from Texarkana to Lubbock.