Not everyone gushes about the ins and outs of their daily routines like John and Traci Torrillo. But then again, not everyone has a gig as sweet as the Montgomery County couple. “I'm not selling copiers. I'm not selling insurance. It's supposed to be fun,” John says, with a grin that's evident even through the telephone. He and his wife purchased the Sandt's Honey Company in Easton three years ago—they got the keys to their new livelihood on April Fool's Day of 2015.
As one can easily deduce from the name, their family business used to be another family's business. The company's founder, Floyd Sandt, got his start in the beekeeping business back in 1918, with the acquisition of four hives. He had previously worked as a farmhand on what was then known as the Wagener orchard and homestead; Wagener is the name of the road on which the business is located today. By 1974, the company was managing some 400 hives, as well as supplying beekeeping equipment. But, just two years later, Sandt's relinquished its hives to focus on the processing and distribution arm of the honey business.
Sandt's was owned and operated by the same family into the twenty-first century, until, according to the Torrillos, the family's patriarch passed away, and the current generation decided to pursue other interests. Luckily for them, the Torrillo family was waiting in the wings. “I feel very fortunate that we found the company and were able to continue the legacy,” John says.
By the time Traci and John were signing on the dotted line in 2015, they had searched in vain for a business to buy for three years. Finally, John recalls: “I came across a listing that didn't mention [Sandt's] name. I ended up following down that lead.”
Prior to that fortuitous find, neither John nor Traci imagined they'd wind up working in the food industry, let alone managing a honey business. They didn't know it at the time, but they were signing up for a membership in a somewhat exclusive club. “When we came into the honey business, the people were like, ‘Who are these people?'” says John. Adds Traci: “It's a very small industry. Everyone knows everybody else.”
John and Traci were both finance majors when they met at Penn State. After graduation, they waded into the corporate world, rising in the ranks at both Fortune 500 companies and small, privately owned businesses until they determined a career change was in order, and they went on the hunt for that perfect place that would fit the bill. Once they came across the listing for Sandt's, their decision about what to do next, they say, was not a difficult one. “It's a 100-year-old company,” says John. “There aren't too many of those around anymore.” Still, could a pair of business aces hack it in honey? They were about to find out. “We just dove in,” Traci says.
Beyond their own substantial business acumen and ability to adapt, they were aided by some of the best teachers in the business. A production manager who had been with the company for 23 years would continue on with the Torrillos as part of the deal. Also, the Sandts themselves agreed to help with the transition. The two families forged a friendship that is still strong today. “[Sandt] family members still stop by,” Traci says. Adds John: “It's been a win-win for everybody. We've given it the TLC they wanted it to have.”
In this case, the T in TLC might stand for technology. Although the Sandt family had done an admirable job of maintaining the reputation of the brand and the quality of the products it produced, the Torrillos say the company was in need of some modern enhancements. Mission number one was updating the company's logo and website, as well as its marketing strategies. “[When we took over], there wasn't even a phone number on the website,” John recalls.
They also had to revamp the processing and packaging facility with newer, state-of-the-art equipment. John says that walking into the building on Wagener Lane for the first time was akin to stepping into a time machine; the labeling and capping of the honey containers was still done by hand. The Torrillos purchased machinery to expedite the packing process, and more recently added a new hot room—think of it as a sauna for honey, and a key component in the process of bringing the sweet stuff from hive to home.
After the raw honey is delivered to Sandt's from beekeepers both in and out of the U.S., the product is heated for two to three days before it's strained. The key word there is strained—not filtered. That, according to Traci, is one of the hallmarks of Sandt's honey, and something that sets it apart from others brands on the shelf. While other companies may purposefully remove pollen, particles or other gifts from Mother Nature, Sandt's keeps it all-natural; those “goodies” are what give Sandt's honey its cloudy appearance. Sandt's also refrains from adding in extenders. As the company likes to tout, customers can be sure they're getting “unfiltered, raw honey—as the bees intended.”
And, even though Sandt's offers a number of varieties, like blueberry, alfalfa and clover, the Torrillos are quick to point out that the shift in taste is not the end result of adding artificial flavor to the batch. “The flavor comes from the flower itself,” Traci explains. When pressed to pick a favorite, she says she prefers the citrusy taste of the orange blossom varietal, while John is partial to the wildflower.
Following the upgrades to the Easton factory, the five-member team at Sandt's can now crank out anywhere from 2,500 to 10,000 pounds of honey a day at the more than 3,000-square-foot facility. And that honey is winding up in kitchens and cupboards around the country, thanks to the reach of one of its chief purveyors, Amazon.com. While the Torrillos say the vast majority of their business is wholesale, Sandt's honey can be purchased locally at stores like Valley Farm Market in Bethlehem, Calandra's Cheese in Nazareth, Queen's Nutritional Products in Allentown and at the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market. It's not uncommon for a first-time client to become a longtime client. “Some of our customers, we've had since the 1970s,” says Traci.
When it comes to the division of labor in this family operation, John is often rolling up his sleeves on the factory floor, while Traci is working the phones, whether she's in the office or not. “I've already taken orders on my cell phone in the grocery store,” she says. She's also the de facto marketing manager and brand ambassador. “I always carry honey in my purse and I give it away for free,” she explains. John says he gets a kick out of recounting his routine to friends who still work in corporate America. “I go to work in jeans and shorts,” he says. “These guys are still wearing suits.”
Besides keeping business buzzing for their honey company, John and Traci are also juggling a plethora of activities at their own “hive.” They're the parents of three active teenagers—Paul, 18, Lia, 16, and Nick, 14. They say their youngest, Nick, has shown an interest in the honey business. More than a year ago, he and his mom began maintaining some beehives at their Montgomery County home. He's also pitched in at the factory in Easton; a promising sign, perhaps, that Sandt's will continue to thrive as a family business, as the brand that honey connoisseurs know so well marks 100 years and counting.
