Our Story
How it Started
Big Sky Honeyberries is the result of a seven-year journey filled with dedication, innovation, and the support of incredible people. It all started when Brian Jackson introduced me, David Dunn, to the idea of growing honeyberries in 2018—an exciting and unique fruit that thrives in Montana’s cold and alkaline climate. From that moment our mission began.
Bringing this vision to life required more than just planting berries—it meant building the very foundation they would grow in. We started by rebuilding an Oswalt 320 feed mixer, restoring the main bearing for the auger with numerous repairs, and giving it a fresh coat of purple paint. This machine became essential in creating our custom soil blend, made with Stoltze Lumber’s 30-year mulch material, biochar, montmorillonite, Humic - Live Earth, and a product called Grey Gold.
We trenched 8 miles of row and, using our feed mixer, carefully filled them with this rich, nutrient-dense soil. After leveling the ground, we drilled a cover crop into the tilled earth and established 8 miles of hedgerow with a field mulch layer that laid our drip lines as well. Then came the most labor-intensive steps in the summer of 2021, hand-cutting 10,000 holes and physically planting 10,000 honeyberry starts.
It took over 3 months and a lot of additional help. For a couple summers previously I had personally nurtured these starts by hand watering all 10,000 at dusk, to prevent leaf damage. There were many peaceful nights with me, the dog, some music, and my hope our mission would ‘bear fruit.’
We believe in sustainable farming and sharing the best of what Montana has to offer.
With guidance from Brian Jackson, Curtis and Leslie Braaten at Haskap Central, and the unwavering support of Keeli Alfonso and Nathan Schoonover, this dream became a reality. Today, Big Sky Honeyberries stands as a testament to patience, perseverance, and a deep respect for the land.
At Big Sky Honeyberries, we believe in sustainable farming and sharing the best of what Montana has to offer. Whether you’re enjoying them fresh, baked into your favorite treat, or blended into a smoothie, or frozen, we’re proud to bring these incredible berries from our field to your table.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without the people who believed in it, and we’re excited to share our journey—and our berries—with you.
Why Montana?
For centuries, the Indigenous peoples of the northern hemisphere’s boreal forests, in cold regions far from the coasts, discovered and cherished the honeyberry (haskap) for its flavor and nourishment. Through the dedicated work of Dr. Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan – whose 30-year breeding program helped bring this wild berry into commercial cultivation – this remarkable fruit is now more widely available. We’re honored to grow a small piece of that legacy here in Montana at Big Sky Honeyberries.
QUICK FACTS
Where We’re Heading
Big Sky Honeyberries is a trailblazer for honeyberry production in Montana. We aim to produce berries for retail and wholesale markets. We plan to share our honeyberry knowledge with other farmers, with the dream of building co-ops and developing a network of honeyberry production. We are currently seeking partners looking to create honeyberry-based products, including jams, ice creams, and freeze-dried powders for the health food industry. We’d love to discuss your ideas of the value-added potential for this purple superfruit.
