ALICIA S. COOK<\/p>\n
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THE bees of Bendigo have been busy with jars of Collins Honey popping up in local IGA\u2019s, petrol stations, and even in gift bags bound for the United States. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d said Mr Collins. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first year I was like wow, we\u2019re selling so much more honey than I anticipated and then the second year it was just growth, growth, and it doubled nearly every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The label also provides information to customers about what nectars the bees have had access to for each honey variety.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than just showcasing a brand like Capilano or Beechworth, we\u2019ve actually got these varieties, where the bees are and what source they\u2019ve been on,\u201d Mr Collins said. <\/p>\n
The process of achieving different honey varieties requires knowledge of blossoming patterns for various plant species and how certain weather conditions can affect them. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very weather dependent, very rain dependent, heat, wind, have the trees had enough rain the previous year? Did they bud up the previous year?\u201d Mr Collins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s essentially farming, there\u2019s so many variables and you\u2019re relying on a tree to not drop its bud and yield nectar and pollen, it needs to be good for the bees.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mr Collin\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe sunsets and sunrises we see are remarkable,\u201d he said. \u201cEven along the rivers and just the places you get to see, I\u2019m definitely not an office person.<\/p>\n
\u201cHanging out with the bees, it\u2019s kind of like my place it\u2019s really relaxing and rewarding at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ALICIA S. COOK THE bees of Bendigo have been busy with jars of Collins Honey popping up in local IGA\u2019s, 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 […]<\/p>\n