The story of master beekeeper Leonid Zaytsev, an immigrant journey, mentorship under Charles "Chuck" Lilley, and a family dedication to pure Oregon honey.
Leonid Zaytsev’s journey into beekeeping began in culinary school in Odessa, Ukraine. Looking to pollinate a backyard greenhouse, he introduced his very first beehive. When the bees struggled in the enclosed space, Leonid immersed himself in formal agriculture and bee biology courses—sparking a lifelong devotion to apiculture.
In April 1989, Leonid immigrated to Oregon with his wife and two young children. Seeking out the local beekeeping trade, he was mentored by Charles "Chuck" Lilley, the respected founder of Bee's Knees Honey Factory. Under Chuck’s generous guidance, Leonid mastered Pacific Northwest migratory beekeeping, commercial extraction, and local floral sources.
Armed with that knowledge, Leonid founded Bee Way Honey Pollination in Damascus, Oregon in 1993. Over three decades of steady family craftsmanship, Bee Way has grown into one of the region’s premier family-owned apiaries—caring for thousands of colonies for West Coast orchard pollination while bottling 100% pure raw honey for our local community.
While our extraction philosophy remains traditional—never heating honey above 104°F and never using ultra-filtration—our facility has evolved into a modern, state-licensed food processing establishment.
Our Damascus facility features dedicated commercial forklifts, high-bay 4-way palletized hive storage, and our freshly repainted and sealed food-grade factory floor. This infrastructure allows us to maintain strict sanitation protocols while efficiently managing thousands of hives for regional pollination contracts and packing single-origin raw honey for families and wholesale partners.
Visit our Damascus farm stand by appointment to pick up freshly bottled Berry, Clover, and Wildflower raw honey.
Damascus Farm Visits By Appointment Only
Have a question about our family history, our honey varieties, starter hives, or visiting Damascus? Reach out anytime.