Shropshire business : Beekeeper, on the virtues of honey for Psoriasis, and talks us through there range of products.

Shropshire Star

We meet the people behind Pontesbury based business: Beekeeper making an extensive range of products using there own honey from there own hives.

Transcript

00:00We're here in Pontersbury and we're here with Queen of the Honey.

00:04What's your name, Madam?

00:06Caroline Ewells.

00:07So, Caroline, you and your partner, what's your partner's name?

00:11Ben.

00:11So, talk us through this business you've created here.

00:16Well, it all stems from a trip to Mozambique, really, in November 2023,

00:21when I suffered some psoriasis and I've suffered for many years from it.

00:26And it was when we were in Mozambique that I met a fellow psoriasis sufferer

00:31who was talking about the benefits of honey and how it had really improved his skin health.

00:35So, we thought, okay, well, we'll give it a whirl.

00:38So, when we came back, Ben bought his first few hives, set up an apiary,

00:44and then we've been using the honey, partly for skin health,

00:48but mainly because now we love the taste of it.

00:52Yeah.

00:53And, yeah, developed other products from that.

00:55Well, yeah, it's expanded a bit, hasn't it?

00:57Just talk us through some of the other products that you do now.

01:00Yeah.

01:00So, we do diffusers.

01:03We've obviously got the honey.

01:04We've got different soaps, lip balms, wax melts, candles.

01:09Yeah.

01:09And we've got other products that we're going to launch at the end of this year as well.

01:14Fantastic.

01:14And we were just having a little chat about different fragrances.

01:17What are the most popular ones that you do there?

01:20Yeah, so, rhubarb and cinnamon is actually a really popular fragrance,

01:25but as is dark honey and tobacco, English pear and vanilla,

01:30another very popular fragrance, and also lavender and patchouli.

01:35Yeah, yeah.

01:35The pear one sounds nice.

01:37That sounds nice.

01:37So, did it help with the psoriasis then?

01:40Yeah?

01:41It does...

01:41Yeah, you know, I can't claim that it gets rid of it.

01:45You know, I would never be saying to everyone,

01:47I'll get our honey because it's going to get rid of psoriasis.

01:49That's not the message at all.

01:51It did help with my psoriasis.

01:53It's good because it's got antioxidants and it's got so many health benefits to it.

02:00So, it did improve my skin health, definitely.

02:04And I'm going to sound like a total idiot now.

02:06Does it help by eating it or do you...

02:08You don't rub the honey on...

02:09Yeah, no, both, both.

02:10Oh, you can rub the...

02:11Yeah, yeah.

02:11Oh, wow, okay.

02:12Yeah.

02:12That's all right.

02:13I don't feel too much of an idiot as I thought.

02:15No, no, so putting the honey directly on the skin, absolutely.

02:18I mean, it's not the nicest feeling because it's very sticky.

02:21Yeah, yeah.

02:22But, yeah, directly on the skin and ingesting is good.

02:25Wow.

02:26So, how did...

02:27Was it kind of a learning curve for Ben with his hives?

02:30Yeah, absolutely.

02:32He's been on a massive learning curve.

02:35So, he's done some training with Tiger Hall there in Church...

02:38No, sorry, in Bishop's Castle.

02:40Yeah.

02:40And also he's done some training through the Shropshire Beekeeping Association

02:44and he's just started his Masters in beekeeping as well.

02:48Oh, wow.

02:48So, yeah, he's done a lot in terms of the beekeeping side of things.

02:51Yeah.

02:52Yeah, I primarily deal with the products, making the products and packaging and so on.

02:57Well, the packaging looks great.

02:59Tell us about what these little stickers you've had to add are saying, Great Taste.

03:03What's that all about?

03:04So, we entered into the Great Taste and we were blown away at the fact that we got given,

03:10well, awarded a two gold star accreditation from them.

03:13And it's a worldwide scheme and there was only over 14,000 entries.

03:20So, yeah, it was a really great way for us.

03:23It's a nice little pat on the back, isn't it?

03:25Yeah, definitely.

03:26I think you're doing the right thing.

03:27So, where do you want to be with the business and the products or do you kind of, you know,

03:32have you got a, do you want to get bigger and bigger?

03:35Yeah, definitely.

03:36Yeah.

03:37We've got plans to launch some new products by the end of this year, but eventually we

03:42want to get into larger premises where we can do honey gin tasting and food and do beekeeping

03:52experiences.

03:53So, yeah, definitely.

03:55And I think another big thing for us is about getting the message in terms of bee conservation,

04:01how important bees are to the ecosystem.

04:04So, we want to go into schools and talk to children about that.

04:08And where can people get hold of your products?

04:11At the moment, predominantly, we are online.

04:16So, we've got an online www.thebeekeepercollection.com.

04:19Also, Etsy shop.

04:22Radbrook in Shrewsbury, the gift shop there.

04:26And, strangely, we are in Brighouse in Slathwaite.

04:31Yeah.

04:31And we're in talks with some other local shops as well in Shrewsbury at the moment.

04:36So, hopefully, we'll be in more places in a couple of months' time.

04:39Fantastic.

04:40Well, we wish you all the best and we look forward to seeing the product range expand.

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