Starrlight Mead, Pittsboro

When Becky and Ben Starr first sipped mead at a Renaissance fair years ago, they never thought that moment would be the one that changed their lives. They liked the taste so much, they started fermenting their own batches of the honey and water at home to the delight of their friends, who started showing up with empty wine bottles. In 2006, the Starrs entered their first contest and swept the floor. Of the 210 entries at the International Mead Association’s 2006 Mead Festival, their mead took home best in show. From that moment on, they decided to take their hobby seriously, so they opened Starrlight Mead, where honey from local North Carolina beekeepers is transformed into a variety of different meads.