Valor Honey, a veteran-owned business in Manhattan, has partnered with Kansas State University and the American Honey Producers Association to create the American Honey Institute. Plans are currently underway to purchase the former American Institute of Baking building, which will house honey processing, research, and a certification center.

Led by K-State’s entomology department, the institute will test honey purity and educate consumers. A production facility in Lenexa is being designed to bottle 75,000 pounds of honey annually. Valor Honey maintains 500 beehives to help meet demand.

The institute will also feature a wellness clinic for veterans, offering therapy for PTSD. Founder Gary LaGrange, a retired Army veteran, emphasized the healing power of beekeeping, continuing a tradition dating back to WWI.