New Sioux City campus will create one of the largest honey-processing complexes in the country and expand processing, packaging and raw honey storage capabilities
Sioux Honey Association Co-op Groundbreaking
Sioux Honey Association Co-op New Facility Rendering
Sioux City, Iowa, Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sioux City, IA, September xx, 2026 – Sioux Honey Association Co-Op, maker of Sue Bee® and Aunt Sue’s® Honey, has broken ground on a $130 million expansion of its Sioux City operations that will create one of the largest honey-processing complexes in the country, increase production capacity by 50% and add new processing, packaging and raw honey storage capabilities.
The multi-phase project will create a major new processing complex designed to improve efficiency, strengthen employee and food safety and give Sioux Honey greater flexibility to respond to evolving customer and consumer packaging needs. The new campus will include finished goods warehousing, corporate offices and a new processing facility and laboratory, and expanded raw honey storage.
The investment reflects both internal growth at the cooperative and external market demand for greater product transparency and traceability. Sioux Honey’s membership increased by 25% in 2025, representing an additional 7 million pounds of honey and increasing the need for additional storage and processing capacity, while consumers and retailers continue to place greater emphasis on knowing where their food comes from.
“At the end of the day, all of this will help our co-op thrive for another 100 years and continue supporting U.S.A. beekeepers,” said Rob Buhmann, Sioux Honey Co-Op Chairman of the Board.
The new processing facility will feature upgraded processing and bottling lines capable of handling a wide range of bottle sizes and packaging formats. Specialty lines will provide additional flexibility to develop packaging tailored to customer needs and support future product and packaging innovation.
Construction is proceeding in multiple phases, beginning with renovation of an existing warehouse and corporate office building that will provide 200,000 square feet of finished goods warehouse space and 26,000 square feet of modern corporate office space, expected to be completed in 2027. The next phases will add the new processing facility, laboratory and raw honey warehouse, with the new processing operation expected to be running by summer 2028. Once all phases are complete, Sioux Honey expects the expansion to create approximately 39 new jobs.
Sue Bee® and Aunt Sue’s® were the first honey brands to earn U.S. Farmed™ certification through American Farmland Trust, a third-party certification and traceability standard that verifies qualifying products are made primarily with ingredients grown by U.S. farmers.
The expansion builds on Sioux Honey’s more than 100-year history in Sioux City, where the cooperative was founded in 1921. The co-op is the only honey cooperative in the United States and today includes more than 180 American beekeeping families, some of whom have been members for generations.
ABOUT SIOUX HONEY CO-OP
For more than 100 years, Sue Bee® and Aunt Sue’s® honey have delivered trusted quality to generations of families. Harvested and produced in the United States, our honey comes directly from the dedicated beekeepers of Sioux Honey Association, many of whom represent multi-generation family operations that have passed down the craft for decades. From pioneering bee farms to long-standing family enterprises, each member shares a commitment to producing pure, high-quality honey customers can trust. By working closely with beekeepers we know by name, Sioux Honey continues a proud tradition of craftsmanship, integrity, and reliability that has defined our brand for more than a century.
Attachments
- Sioux Honey Association Co-op Groundbreaking
- Sioux Honey Association Co-op New Facility Rendering
CONTACT: Stacy Callahan Sioux Honey Association Co-op 917-972-1101 [email protected]
