The buzz on where that honey comes from

ALICIA S. COOK

THE bees of Bendigo have been busy with jars of Collins Honey popping up in local IGA’s, petrol stations, and even in gift bags bound for the United States.

Owner of the Golden Square-based business, Richard Collins said he learned the trade from his father, but it was only in the last five years after streamlining their packing processes that the label found its way into restaurants and supermarkets.

“We started off in a 20-foot shipping container that I converted into a packing room and that lasted me six months before I ended up having to build a honey shed,” said Mr Collins.

“The first year I was like wow, we’re selling so much more honey than I anticipated and then the second year it was just growth, growth, and it doubled nearly every year.”

Collins Honey first found its customer base at farmers markets where Mr Collins said shoppers appreciated how all aspects of production were completed in house, from keeping the bees to harvesting and packing the honey.

The label also provides information to customers about what nectars the bees have had access to for each honey variety.

“Rather than just showcasing a brand like Capilano or Beechworth, we’ve actually got these varieties, where the bees are and what source they’ve been on,” Mr Collins said.

The process of achieving different honey varieties requires knowledge of blossoming patterns for various plant species and how certain weather conditions can affect them.

“It’s very weather dependent, very rain dependent, heat, wind, have the trees had enough rain the previous year? Did they bud up the previous year?” Mr Collins said.

“It’s essentially farming, there’s so many variables and you’re relying on a tree to not drop its bud and yield nectar and pollen, it needs to be good for the bees.”

Mr Collin’s quest to find a good spot for his bees can take him all over Victoria and the beekeeper said he often spends days on the road transporting the hive boxes.

“The sunsets and sunrises we see are remarkable,” he said. “Even along the rivers and just the places you get to see, I’m definitely not an office person.

“Hanging out with the bees, it’s kind of like my place it’s really relaxing and rewarding at the same time.”