About Us
Dry Creek Beekeeping
We are a family-owned agritourism business located in Northwest Illinois, between Galena and Elizabeth, IL that offers beekeeping tours, educational experiences, honey tastings, honey sales, pollination services, and mentoring for those interested in starting or advancing in their beekeeping journey. We were officially founded in the state of Illinois in 2023 and opened our doors for business in 2024. Our beekeeping tours provide an opportunity to learn about the fascinating world of bees and their role in our ecosystem. Our educational beekeeping experiences are tailored to anyone ages 6 and up and offer a hands-on approach to learning about bees, honey, and beekeeping. Our raw wildflower honey is delicious and locally sourced.
​MEET OUR TEAM:
Chase Dittmar- Beekeeper, Founder, Co-Owner, Educator, Website and Apiary Manager
Chase started beekeeping at age 13 in 2018 after being inspired by a presentation from a local beekeeper through his local 4-H chapter. He utilized beekeeping in his 4-H projects and exhibited at the state level with his project. In 2021, Chase started the Dry Creek Beekeeping YouTube channel to teach others about beekeeping and to share his beekeeping journey. In high school, he utilized this channel in his FFA Communications project and won the Illinois State Proficiency award and the National American Degree awards for his efforts with his beekeeping YouTube channel. Chase currently attends Coe College in Cedar Rapids and was fortunate to receive the Williston-Jones Enviromental Scholarship (one of their largest scholarships), due to his work with beekeeping. He is triple majoring in in Biology, Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies.
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B'Ann Dittmar- Educator, Co-Owner, Budding Honey Sommelier, Marketing / PR/ Events, and Business Manager
B'Ann has been an Instructor of Business / Management/ Leadership and Director of the MBA program at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa since 2011. Prior to that, she was in banking for 17 years, with the last 9 years serving as the Market President for U.S. Bank in Dubuque, IL and Galena, IL. B'Ann is Chase's mom and has taken a deep dive into the fascinating and vast world of honey. She has taken classes to learn how to become a honey judge and with C. Marina Marchese, author of "Honey for Dummies." She conducts educational honey tasting workshops to help people learn more about how honey gets its aroma, color, and flavor and helps people expand their palette to accurately describe what they are experiencing when they smell or taste honey varieties, beyond the typical description of honey tasting "sweet." Equipped with these tools, many people enjoy delving into the world of honey and collecting honey varieties as they travel, as each place will have its own unique flavors of honey.
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Dan Dittmar- Chief of Maintenance and Cleaning, Solver of all Problems, Supporter Extraordinaire, and Co-Owner
Dan is the "silent" partner, but is always there when needed. He is Dad to Chase and husband to B'Ann. He makes sure the grounds are maintained and helps keep everything organized and clean. He is our go-to when there is a problem, as he is sure to have an answer. He serves as an incredible supporter and cheerleader for all of our crazy ideas.
