Honeygirl Meadery expands its footprint and its beverage offerings in downtown Durham
By Anna-Rhesa Versola | Photography by John Michael Simpson
The Bullpen social district is abuzz with anticipation for the opening of Ment Beverage Co.’s new 3,000-square-foot space at American Tobacco Campus this summer. Battle Fermentables owner Robby Battle says Honeygirl Meadery, named a Durham Magazine readers’ favorite craft alcoholic beverage, is the star brand for the company, and Ment Beverage Co. will expand into non-mead products like ciders, seltzers and more. The new location provides an opportunity to tap into the tourism economy, particularly visitors to the nearby Durham Performing Arts Center. Like Goldilocks, Robby evaluated all available options before deciding to make the move to ATC.
“We looked next to Mezcalito or Lonerider [Distillery and Taproom] in the same neighborhood,” he says, referencing the meadery’s old site on Hood Street, which closed its doors in March to focus on the transition to its new home. “We looked at 555 Mangum on the other side of the ballpark. I’ve been looking for just warehouse space, because you’ll typically find most meaderies either on a farm in the middle of nowhere or in a warehouse [where] you wouldn’t expect them to be. We’ve always been the latter, in a 1,500-square-foot warehouse for the past 10 years. We really maxed out our space about three years ago. American Tobacco had the right floor plan for what we needed.”
The expansive location accommodates more people, increases walkability and provides more parking options. It’s located near Burt’s Bees, a major natural skin care company that also relies on bees for its product lines. “Everything just sort of screamed out, ‘We should be there!’” Robby says, “and it just sort of lined up. All the people who work on campus have been super welcoming. I think they’re just as excited as I am to be there, so that’s great.”
Honeygirl will continue to pour its award-winning meads, while Ment Beverage Co. will experiment with all things fermentable, like rice, fruits and vegetables, to create its new offerings. “We have a strong backbone with mead,” Robby says. “We’re going to have the ability to diversify the line [and] lean into the alternative beverage scene. Staying within the wine category, we’re going to make some ciders. And we’re going to make some sakes. We’re going to have nonalcoholic drinks … something for everybody. We’re excited to try out all these new beverages.”
Robby explains that his crew works in small batches, sourcing many ingredients locally to support regional foodways and community farm systems. “That’s why we’ve been at the [Durham] Farmers Market for so long – to build all those relationships and be able to keep that going and create sustainable and local drinks for people,” he says.
In spite of this longevity, Robby says the Best of Durham distinction for Honeygirl’s meads still came as a surprise. “It was a shock,” he says. “My jaw dropped a little bit when we got the email. Everyone who works for the meadery got really excited.
“To be really honest with you, I didn’t know we had a shot at it at all,” he continues. “We’re in the [category] with some really heavy hitters. We’re just this little meadery in the East Durham part of town. It goes to show that if you make a really great product, and you put your soul into it, it pays off.”
Just Bee-lieve
Honeygirl was founded in 2013 by Diane Currier. “She built this brand pretty much single-handedly for the first five, six years,” Robby says. “She brought in our current head meadmaker, [William Costen], in 2018 to assist her in the production process.”
In late 2022, Diane told William and Robby that she was thinking about retiring. “At that point, I had been working in this industry for almost a decade and decided that I was well prepared enough to take on something myself,” Robby says. “It made sense to carry on a well-crafted, well-recognized brand that’s uniquely Durham.”
Robby and his wife, artist and photographer Mar Battle, jumped into business ownership in March 2023. The couple hopes to offer more weekly and specialty events and curate local art in the new space. In the meantime, you can still find Honeygirl meads at the downtown farmers market and stay up to date with news of pop-ups on Instagram at @honeygirlmeadery.
