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SAVANNAH, Ga. — A husband-and-wife team of beekeepers in the Savannah area find themselves in a legal tussle with a prominent honey producer over their business name.
Eden Browne and her husband, proud owners of Savannah River Honey, operate their small, family-run beekeeping venture out of Clyo. The couple has been dedicated to establishing their brand in the local market.
However, their hard work hit a snag when they recently received a legal notice from the Savannah Bee Company, which claims that their business name infringes on the company’s trademark.
“You cannot trademark the name Savannah. It’s a place, and it’s a river,” Eden Browne argued, expressing frustration over the situation.
The letter from Savannah Bee Company demands that Savannah River Honey relinquish its trademark and undergo an immediate rebranding.
The Savannah Bee Company argues that the name “Savannah River Honey” infringes on its trademark rights and could cause confusion among customers.
“If we have to rebrand and rename and do all the things that Savannah Bee is asking us, that’s potentially going to put us out of business to help other beekeepers and even sell local honey,” Browne said.
Browne said they chose their name because of their unique location.
“We chose the name ‘Savannah River Honey’ because this is where our bees are on the Savannah River,” she said. “This is just one of our many yards that we have in Clyo on the Savannah River. We just want to protect our business as much as possible.”
reached out to Savannah Bee Company for comment, but has not yet received a response.