816-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Juna 25, 1994
Wade Fisher (left), who co-owns the Fisher Honey Company with his father Dyson
and brother Scott, sits with Bill Spickler (right), salesman and package designer.
Fisher Honey Stiks
Become Marketing Sensation
GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
LEWISTOWN (Mifflin Co.)
You’re looking for a snack. Some
thing sweet, but not heavy or fill
ing. Something tasty. Something
nutritious. Something reasonably
priced. Arc you asking too much?
Docs a snack like this really exist?
Yes, says Wade Fisher of Lcw
islown. But for now, demand is
exceeding supply and Fisher is
doing all he can to keep his cus
tomers stocked.
Wade Fisher, his father Dyson,
and brother Scott, arc owners and
operators of the Fisher Honey
Company in the Mifflin County
Industrial Pla/a, Lewistown.
Together they process and pack
age a line of bottled liquid honey
for stores and bakeries. But
Wade’s latest passion is the honey
stick that reasonable priced,
sweet slick of snacking
satisfaction.
Fisher’s Famous Honey Sliks
arc drinking siraw-si/.ed plastic
lubes filled with 99% pure honey.
With both ends heat-sealed,
they’re ready for you to grab and
go! Pop open an end enjoy. No
sciz/ors needed nor excess pack
aging to deal with. There’s only
one problem. You have to choose
a flavor!
“Raspberry, blueberry, cherry,
and watermelon arc fast movers.
Licorice was a surprise. They
(customers) wiped us out! We’re
working on Pina Colada, adding a
new flavor each month,” says
Fisher of his already 26 flavors,
including the natural honey flavor.
Fisher says they’re working in
their test kitchen all the time,
experimenting with natural and
artificial flavorings, testing the
market. Each slick weighs five
grams and sells for 10-15 cents.
Ii would lake more than a
machine to cap Wade’s excite
ment about this new snack. He
first learned of honey slicks from
an Oregon man who began pack
ing and selling this snack eight
years ago a business that keeps
growing each year. Through
phone conversations, Wade
learned that the man preferred not
to expand his business into the
East Coast and that he had a patent
on his machine and manufacturing
process. The Fisher Honey Com
pany needed to design their own.
The machine they use now, a
prototype, was designed by an
inventor in Canada. It processes
about 15,000 to 20,000 honey
stick tubes a day. Fisher has two
different companies working on
their next machine or machines,
one he hopes will “crank” out that
many in just hours. A patent is
pending.
For funding, Fisher Honey
Company relied on 75% of their
own financing, and turned to
Robert Postal of the Mifflin Coun
ty Industrial Development Corpo
ration for the rest. The Occupa
tional Vocational Rehabilitation
office helped place workers. And
until their new machines arrive,
the Fishers spend their time creat
ing new flavor sensations and fill
ing orders orders that keep
coming in daily.
“We slock 10 to 15 stores in the
Lewistown area and they include
convenience stores, a wallpaper
shop, a computer store, gas sta
tions, and places you wouldn’t
expect to find snacks sold,” Wade
says. William Spicklcr works at
designing display packages and
handles marketing and sales.
The Fisher Honey Company is
supplied with honey from a reli
able source the Fisher Bee
Wade Fisher (left) and Bill Spickler (right) man the ma
chine that fills the flavored honey sticks.
Farm, a third generation family
business that involves moving
4,000 colonics of honey bees from
Florida to Maine for pollinating
crops such as citrus fruits, cher
ries, apples, blueberries, and cran
berries. Wade’s grandfather,
Merle Fisher, began the Fisher
Bee Farm in 1937 with two hives.
The Fisher Honey Company
purchases additional honey for
their liquid honey processing and
packaging operation.
But no matter what kind of hon
ey it is, Wade says honey has an
indefinite shelf life, although it
will crystalize. When this hap
pens, simply warm it up in warm
water to liquify it again. But,
please! Don’t heat the honey
sticks in the microwave they’ll
explode!
Hopefully Fisher’s Famous
Honey Stiks will be coming soon
lo a store near you where you can
taste lest for yourself. Honey may
have a long-shelf life, but once
you taste honey slicks, they’ll
definitely have a short-life span!
For more information, call the
Fisher Honey Company at (717)
242-4373.
See your nearest
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and
Dependable Service!
PENNSYLVANIA
Annvllli. PA
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RDI, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
CarUala. PA
R&W Equipment Co. Nw Holland. PA
35 East-Willow Street A.B.C. Groff, . Inc.
717-243-2686 110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
Htv. PA
F&S Supply Co.
Enterprise St.
717-489-3642
Elizabethtown. PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc.
Rt. 283 • Rheem's Exit
717-367-1319
Halifax. PA
Sweigard Bros.
R.D. 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
Honey Brook, PA
Dependable Motor Co.
East Main Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honev Grove. PA
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
MARY
Frederick. HD
Ceresville
Ford New Holland, Inc.
Rt. 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MD,
800-331-9122
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton, NJ
Leslie G. Fogg, Inc.
Canton & Stow Creek
Landing Rd.
609-451-2727
609-935-5145
Huaheivllle. PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
Olev. PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 2
215-987-6257
Pitman, PA
Schreffler Equipment
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Quakertown.
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. -1
215-536-1935
Temaaua. PA
Charles S.Snydsr, Inc.
R.D. 3
717-386-5945
West Grove. PA
S.G. Lewis & Son, Inc.
R.O. 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
AND
Washington. NJ
Smith Tractor &
Equip., Inc.
15 Hillcrest Ave.
201-689-7900
Wooditown. NJ
Owen Supply Co.
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308