We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine And Kody Boger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine and Kody, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The idea came about during the pandemic. Christine had lost her job and was home caring for her elderly parents. Kody was overseas in Japan. What started out as a hobby became the business spark for us. Initially, we had no idea how consumers would respond to our country wine and mead. We just knew that this was a niche market and that we had high hopes. Our goal was to get the brand and product out in front of as many people as we could get feedback, as well as, brand recognition. We participated in many events throughout the county, and still do. We knew that if the customers were willing to try, then they would definitely buy.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Blue Honey is a micro-winery specializing in country wine (fruit wine) and mead (honey wine). None of our wines are made with grapes unless it’s part of a special recipe. We are proud to source as locally as possible for our ingredients, specifically in Ramona, Pauma Valley and the surrounding area for our fruits. Instead of using the fruit most people buy, we help out farmers and residents by purchasing their “ugly” overripe fruit, which is perfect for our winemaking. It makes for a “fruitful” relationship by all involved. We are able to help with some of the food “waste” while allowing for the best fruit/crop for our business. Additionally, my husband and I hand process all of our fruit to prepare for winemaking. For honey, we source locally from Trumper’s. We also source honey from Wao Kele in Hawaii. The honey we use is always from a certified beekeeper and is always 100% raw and unfiltered.

Getting people to try something different other than traditional wine or beer was definitely a huge hurdle for us. And getting the recipes right so that people are willing to try and buy something new and different, was also a big challenge. In the beginning, we blasted social media and poured for as many event as possible, all donated wine. In the meanwhile, we entered mead and wine competitions to primarily get feedback from the judges in order to improve on the recipes, as needed. Much to our amazement. we have won 36 medals total. What we have realized is that most people are open to try something new, except for the person who is faithful to their wine or beer. Once we’re able to open that door for them, there’s usually not much persuasion needed. Our goal has been to get EVERYONE to try our country wine and mead. However, one of our main goals is to convert more grape wine drinkers to mead and country wine drinkers, simply because the misnomer about mead is that it is thick and cloyingly sweet. Our menu consists of dry and semi-sweet mead and wine to cater to these wine drinkers. So far, we have changed many, many of these minds.

One of the things we have learned along the way is that you need to know your customer in order to create something they’ll want to buy, or a place they’ll want to visit, in this industry. With so much competition out there, you need to cater to your audience, whomever they may be. Which is also why we enjoy doing so many events. Aside from brand recognition, we want to hear from potential customers to get their feedback AND input. By listening and paying attention, we have created products, a tasting room and tasting patio, over the past two years that we feel people will enjoy and love.

We want the world to know that there is more than just grape wine and beer in the beverage industry. Give us a chance, and try something new and unique!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We love brunch downtown near the water, literally anwhere downtown! So, a couple of starts to our days would definitely be brunch on/near the water. We also love Asian food, so we’ll head over to the Clairemont Mesa/Convoy area to divulge in dumplings, Ramen, AYCE Korean BBQ. and more! If the weather permits, we’ll definitely head over to the beach for some fun in the sun! We love going to La Jolla Shores where we can setup and hang out all day. Finally, we would probably take them on a Mead marathon, visiting as many meaderies we can in 2 days. Honestly, there is so much to do in San Diego. You just have to get out!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents, who both passed late 2023, were always supportive of all my endeavors. I attribute so much to my late parents for showing me how hard work and pride in your work is all you need to be successful. We migrated to the U.S. from Vietnam April 1975. My parents became proud American Citizens within five years and raised my brothers and sister and I to achieve the American dream. Owning a business, let a lone a winery, has been and still is an amazing adventure and opportunity. Blue Honey wouldn’t be here today had my parents not paved the way for me. We’ve created a beautiful Garden Tasting Patio in their honor.

Mr. Zeke Corley is a gentleman we met at a Ramona Valley Vineyard Association meeting in Jan 2023. He is owner of A Different Day Networks LLC and host of the podcast Same Business Different Day. He has given us many opportunities to showcase our winery and products, including a podcast with Nita Gilson, the “glean” queen! Without Zeke, Blue Honey’s success and brand would not be as recognized. Thank you, Zeke!

Website: https://www.bluehoneywinesandmeads.com

Instagram: blue_honey21

Twitter: bluehoneywm

Facebook: bluehoney21

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-honey-country-wines-and-meads-ramona-2

Youtube: BlueHoney-ru5vk

Other: https://www.shopmeads.com/blue_honey

Image Credits
Christine Boger

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSoCal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.