Kiowa Honey Company Up for Sale

(MITCHELL, Neb.) — After eight years of building Kiowa Honey Company into an established Nebraska Panhandle business, owners Manuel and Carissa Prieto are preparing to sell the company and move their family out of Nebraska.

The bittersweet announcement came from Carissa Prieto, who said Nebraska will always feel like home for the family. Their years with the business have included raising children, growing the company, traveling and becoming deeply connected to the communities they served.

“We feel that we have grown to the extent of our abilities here in Nebraska, and we believe bigger things are waiting for us elsewhere,” Prieto wrote.

The family hopes the sale will allow Kiowa Honey Company to continue serving customers throughout the Panhandle. The established business has more than a dozen retail locations, an existing product line, loyal customers and a recognized brand.

The sale can include the Kiowa Honey Company name, recipes, retail accounts, branding, label and jar inventory, with equipment, bulk honey, the website and shipping inventory available for negotiation.

“You’re not starting from zero,” Prieto said. “You’re stepping into 8 years of work, relationships, reputation, infrastructure, and a brand that people already know and trust.”

A commercial kitchen will be required to supply existing store accounts.

The family’s country home also will soon be available for rent, while the farm store building will eventually be offered for sale and must be moved by the buyer.

For the Prietos, the decision marks the end of an important chapter, but they hope the business will continue under new ownership.

“We would absolutely love to hand our business baby over to someone who will love it, grow it, and care for it as much as we have,” Prieto wrote.

“This isn’t goodbye,” she added. “It’s see you later.”

But don’t worry, until the business sells, Carissa promises that “we will still be attending The Heirloom Market and we will still be operating as normal until it sells, so order online, visit the grocery store, etc, you shouldn’t see any change in honey and honey butter availability.“

The candles will sell out and the new owners are not expected to take over the candles. Everything in the farm store besides honey is final sale and will not be replaced so get it while you can.