Community rallies around 19-year-old beekeeper after fire destroyed honey stock

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In November, 19-year-old Jethro Peretto watched as the honey he worked so hard to harvest went up in flames after the manufacturing plant it was stored in caught fire.

The fire happened on Nov. 16, 2025, at the Beehive State Honey manufacturing plant in American Fork. The building was deemed a total loss, and the fire destroyed all that was inside, including Peretto's honey. Remarkably, all the bees survived, and now the community is coming together to buy honey and raise funds to help Peretto rebuild a business he started when he was just a child.

"The support here has been amazing," said his mom, Tara Peretto. "He was set to be in grocery stores before the fire happened. So, he's really had to shift and figure out how he can keep growing his business and put himself in a place so that he can be more stable in the future."

Peretto's love for bees started when he was just 3 years old, when his mom brought home that first hive. Tara Peretto, unfortunately, experienced an adverse reaction to a bee sting and had to retire the hive. A few years later, however, Jethro Peretto asked if he could try again.

"When I was 9, I asked my mom if I could beekeep again," he recalled. "I found a mentor to teach me how to beekeep, and I kind of just ran with it and never looked back."

"Running with it" meant growing his hive, adding more hives, and working with farmers to find placements for his bees. And of course, it meant harvesting honey and beeswax to create products to sell at local markets.

With the help of his mentor, Peretto learned how to care for the bees and how to create a business. He called his honey brand, Amarito Honey Co., and he soon added a men's grooming line called Chiseled & Kempt that also uses bee products.

Last year's fire was initially devastating for business, but he said he is choosing to look at the bright side and move forward with purpose. He said he has loved working with his mentor to rebuild what was lost.

"The fire definitely affected my mentor a lot more than it affected me," Peretto said. "There were definitely some setbacks. I lost almost all of my honey stock, but it's been interesting. Luckily, I have my own hive, so I get to replenish my honey supply.

"I just lost the avenue of being able to extract the honey there for a while, but it's been a really fun experience helping my mentor figure out how to rebuild that building. Most beekeepers fit into the building that's given to them, and we've been given a unique opportunity to build a whole new warehouse just for beekeeping."

Peretto is hoping that through local sales and fundraising efforts, he will be able to also rebuild what he lost and continue to do what he loves.

"He's probably going to be launching a sponsor-a-hive program in a few weeks," Tara Peretto said. "He's trying to double his own hives to keep his supply where it needs to be for this upcoming season and the years to come. He also needs to replace jars, and he needs to find ways to purchase all of the equipment he needs to process the honey. He's definitely got some challenges ahead of him.

"The support so far from the community has been really encouraging to see," she continued. "We're pretty hopeful that he'll be able to reach those goals and just keep on moving forward."

Jethro Peretto said that, all business endeavors aside, there is nothing quite like spending time with his bees.

"When people think of bees, they often think of bee stings," Peretto said. "One of my favorite things about them is the way they dance and communicate. It's very relaxing working with them because you're out in the field in a bee suit out with the bees and they're humming and buzzing. ... There are a lot of healing factors that come from spending time with bees."

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