Meadery hopes new location creates buzz
Zen Bee is moving in pursuit of more space
Zen Bee Meadery soon will have a new home in Worthington.
Dan Demura, who owns and operates the small meadery at 7472 Reliance St. on the North Side with his son, Yuuki, said he is moving his business to 480 E. Wilson Bridge Road, Suite F, in pursuit of more space.
The new location, which is being remodeled and will add approximately 1,200 square feet to the business, is expected to be renovated and opened in February, Demura said.
“Partly, it was the right property at the right time; it’s close to where I’m currently at,” Demura said. “And Worthington, so far, my interactions with the city have been great. And I’m excited about being part of the community there.
“I’ve outgrown the space I’m in. I’ve been outgrown for the past year.”
Worthington City Council President David Robinson said he is enthusiastic about Zen Bee moving to Worthington.
“I think any business that would meet a consumer demand like that in Worthington – restaurants, tasting rooms – would be most welcome,” Robinson said.
Demura said his current location is about 800 square feet. The new location will be about 2,000, he said, which will provide greater space to produce mead and allow him to set up a full taproom and retail space.
Zen Bee had a small taproom when it opened in 2018, but that was
abandoned because of the COVID pandemic and because Demura said he had to use the entire space for production.
“We can actually have people come in and have flights and things of that nature (at the new location),” Demura said. “Our space currently is just too small, and where we’re located is just not really conducive for traffic.”
The current location on Reliance Street is off Worthington Woods Boulevard northeast of Worthington.
Demura said he plans to expand Zen Bee’s product offerings at the new location with grape wine and hard cider production, both of which are permitted through his liquor license.
He said he also plans to expand business hours at the new spot due to the added space and retail capabilities. The Reliance Street location is open 2 to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays for picking up online orders.
Demura said he doesn’t have any employees and works with only his son, but he said that is likely to change with the new location.
“Having a full taproom is going to require me to bring some more people on board,” he said.
Demura said he produced about 700 gallons of mead in 2021 and expects to double that this year. Mead, sometimes referred to as honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage ranging from approximately 5% to 20% alcohol by volumne that is produced by fermenting honey.
Mead is one of the most ancient alcoholic beverages on Earth but is a niche product, Demura said. The state has a few meaderies, with Brothers Drake Meadery at 26 E. Fifth Ave. in Columbus being another one in central Ohio.
Demura said Zen Bee produces a variety of meads, including two hopped meads – mead brewed with hops. The company’s meads received two gold, two silver and one bronze medal in 2020 and one silver and two bronze models in 2021 from the National Honey Board. sborgna@thisweeknews.com @Thisweeksteve