The baffling purple honey found only in North Carolina

Ivy Carruth

 Brought to you buy

 Buzz MacBee

In a quiet corner of North Carolina, bees produce a violet-hued honey so rare and unpredictable that even experts can't explain it – and that's what makes it magical.

In the Sandhills region of North Carolina, between the capital of Raleigh and the Nascar Hall of Fame in the sport-mad town of Charlotte, visitors may not even realise what a rare ecological niche they're stepping into. This is where the Atlantic once met the venerable Uwharrie Mountains, 145km inland; when the ocean pulled away, it left behind the grit that gave the region its name.

The region is one of the last homes for unique flora and fauna like the southern hognose snake and the Carolina gopher frog, both of which are endangered. What it's also known for, though, is something that has university researchers, foodies and conspiracy theorists all scratching their heads. It's a rare and coveted honey in a deep shade of aubergine-purple, and no one knows for sure what gives it the hue.

"It is true that nobody knows what causes purple honey," says Paige Burns, who has a degree in horticulture and works with farmers and foresters in her role as the Richmond County Extension Director. Theories abound, both of the folklore and pseudo-scientific variety, and much like a porch swing, everybody here has one.

Burns tells me a few of the more popular speculations: that it's the alkalinity of the soil changing the honey's colour as it does hydrangeas from blue to pink; that it's wild berries surrounding the bee's territory; and, the one that sparks the most vociferous debate among locals, that it's the deep violet flower of the invasive (and wildly reviled) kudzu vine. Beekeepers in the area have reported finding the jewel-hued honey in their hives for years, but even so, its appearance is so sporadic and at the whim of chance, it continues to be a surprise when it does appear.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250417-the-baffling-purple-honey-found-only-in-north-carolina