What started as a fascination with bees has grown into a budding local business focused on honey production, education and restoring pollinator populations in northern New Mexico.

Questa Bees, founded by Mark Brozio in 2024, is steadily expanding its reach across the village with plans for new apiaries, educational programs and increased honey production. Kami Ortega joined the operation in 2025 after enrolling in a beekeeper certification program and seeking hands-on mentorship.

“I’ve always been interested in bees,” Ortega said. “Knowing they’re good for the environment and just so many positives with having bees, I wanted to do something meaningful.”

Her path to beekeeping began after discovering a certification class in Albuquerque she had followed online for several years. Though hesitant about the commitment, Ortega signed up with encouragement from her husband, Mark Ortega. Participants in the course were encouraged to find mentors with established hives, which eventually connected her with Brozio, whose wife Ginger also encouraged his passion to pursue bee keeping.

Mark and Kami began attending monthly certification classes together while learning hive management firsthand. Now in their second and final year of certification, both say beekeeping remains an ongoing learning process.
“There’s so much to learn,” Ortega said. “You will never know everything about bees.”

Questa Bees produced about 300 pints of honey during its first season, selling out through the Questa Farmers Market. Honey sold for $20 per pint, though Brozio said supply remains limited as the company prioritizes expanding hive populations.

“With a hive, you can kind of go two directions,” Brozio said. “If you leave it, they produce a lot of honey. If you split it, you’ve got two hives, but you’re not getting nearly as much honey.”

The business currently manages dozens of hives split between properties on the north and south ends of Questa, with plans to establish three additional apiaries this year. Brozio said the long-term goal is to eventually produce about 3,000 pints annually.

Still, growth comes with challenges.

Commercial beekeepers nationwide have struggled with significant hive losses due to disease, parasites and environmental stressors. Brozio said intensive management is necessary to maintain healthy colonies.

“Once upon a time, you could catch a hive of bees and leave them out in the back and get honey at the end of the year,” he said. “These have to be intensely managed. They’re really livestock.”

Unlike many honey producers who harvest once or twice annually, Questa Bees harvests weekly during production season, allowing customers to purchase honey made from recently blooming plants.

“If it was blooming the week before, it’s likely in our honey that week,” Brozio said. “People can basically know the bees were sitting on that honey just days before.”

Many customers seek local honey for seasonal allergy relief as consuming it helps people increase their immunity to the local allergens. “We’re not doctors,” Ortega said with a laugh. “But people say it helps.”

The company’s honey is typically sold Sundays at the Questa Farmers Market, though demand often exceeds supply. Honey generally becomes available beginning in late spring or early summer after the first harvests.

Ginger, Mark’s wife, is a big part of the business often decorating beautiful handmade labels for the honey jars.

Beyond honey sales, education has become a major focus of the business.

Questa Bees volunteers its time teaching children, veterans and community groups about pollinators through partnerships with local organizations, including 4-H programs, the local library and youth agricultural initiatives.
The business has brought an observation hive which consists of a plexiglass display allowing visitors to watch bees at work, to farmers markets and community presentations.

“We want people to not be afraid,” Ortega said. “Take them seriously, definitely, but bees are just so important and such amazing little creatures.”

For Brozio, the mission extends beyond honey production.

“We said when we started, we were going to bring bees back to Questa,” he said.

In a high-altitude environment where wild pollinators are less common, the pair hope their growing network of managed hives will support agriculture and spark curiosity among residents about the insects’ role in food production and ecosystem health.

“We just love talking about them,” Ortega said. “And we want people to feel free to reach out and ask questions.”