UPDATE FROM THE BEEKS

HI BEEKS! 

WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AS WE’VE OVERHAULED THE WEBSITE TO BETTER SERVE YOU. DUE TO TWO BACK-TO-BACK FAMILY EMERGENCIES WE ARE NOT 100% FINISHED THE SITE, BUT WILL CONTINUE TO ADD TO IT! OUR WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE ONCE MORE AND YOU CAN SHOP IN PERSON AT THE FARM STORE FROM 10-4 THURS-SUN. 

ON TO OUR UPDATE..

AS OUR HONEY HARVEST COMES TO AN END, IT MARKS A TIME OF REFLECTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. A TIME TO ASSESS OUR HARVEST, PRODUCTION, OUR GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. FALL IS BITTERSWEET, IT’S A WHOLE YEAR OF WORK THAT BOILS DOWN INTO OUR FINAL YIELD, AND THE SEASON SEEMS TO ABRUPTLY END EACH YEAR. DID THE BEES HAVE A GOOD SEASON, ARE THEY HEALTHY? WAS OUR HONEY HARVEST ENOUGH TO LAST US UNTIL SEPT. 2022? DID OUR BEES FIND A BEAUTIFUL FLORAL SOURCE OF NECTAR THIS YEAR?

DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK, SOME PARTS OF ONTARIO HAVE NOTED THE BEST HONEY YIELD IN MANY YEARS, WHILE OTHERS ARE REPORTING A WELL BELOW AVERAGE CROP FOR US. A WARM SPRING QUICKLY LED TO DROUGHT, WHICH LED TO WEEKS UPON WEEKS OF RAIN. 2021 HAS SOMEHOW GIVEN US SOME OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND SPECIAL FLORAL VARIETIES WE’VE EVER TASTED, BUT WITH SUCH EXTREME FLUCTUATIONS IN WEATHER, OUR CROP WAS LESS THAN EXPECTED, BUT STILL OUR MOST PROLIFIC SEASON. 

OUR WORLD HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING SOME DRASTIC CHANGES. WOOD PRICES HAS AFFECTED OUR COST OF MAINTENANCE, CONSTRUCTION AND NEW EQUIPMENT. GLASS HAS SEEN SHORTAGES, AFFECTING OUR JAR PRICES. GAS PRICES ARE INCREASING, AFFECTING OUR DELIVERIES AND SHIPPING RATES. STAINLESS STEEL IS IN SHORTAGE WHICH AFFECTS OUR PROCESSING EQUIPMENT WHICH IS EVER EVOLVING. AND OVERALL, HONEY YIELD ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS DOWN. 

WITH THAT SAID, OUR PRICING WILL BE SLIGHTLY INCREASING OCT 1ST TO HELP US SUSTAIN THE CONTINUALLY INCREASING COSTS BEHIND THE SCENES. WITH PRICES INCREASING, WE PROMISE TO ALWAYS PUT THE HEALTH OF OUR HONEYBEES FIRST OVER PRODUCTION AND YIELD. WE PROMISE TO SUPPORT NATIVE POLLINATORS, NEW BEEKEEPERS, AND RESTORING OUR LAND TO IMPROVE POLLINATOR HEALTH, AND OF COURSE, MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT THAT SO MANY OF YOU KNOW AND LOVE. YOU CAN ALSO SUPPORT US THROUGH A HIVE SPONSORSHIP, WE CHERISH OUR SPONSORS GREATLY. WE HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO. 

WITH THAT SAID, WE’RE SUPER EXCITED FOR EVERYONE TO TASTE OUR 2021 HONEY! OUR WILDFLOWER AND CLOVER IS MORE SPECTACULAR THAN EVER, THANKS TO OUR INCREASED FIELD PLANTING OF 5 CLOVER VARIETIES AND WILDFLOWER MIXES. THE GOLDENROD CROP THIS YEAR IS UNIQUE AND FULL OF ASTER. THE FARM HIVES FORAGED ON A BEAUTIFUL BLEND OF HAND PLANTED NATIVE SUMMER FLORA GROWN BY BEEKEEPER K, INTRODUCING A LIMITED SMALL BATCH “SUMMER BLOSSOM” VARIETY PRODUCED ONLY BY OUR HIVES ON LOCATION. OUR SCUGOG ISLAND BEES WERE INTO THE BASSWOOD AND LINDEN TREES HEAVILY (HINT, HINT). AND LASTLY, OUR BUCKWHEAT IS A WONDERFUL LIGHT AMBER BLEND (LESS DARK AND RICH THAN WE HOPED). 

OUR HONEY WILL REMAIN AS PRICED UNTIL OCTOBER 1ST, AND OUR 3 FOR $25 SALE ON ALL $10 STANDARD JARS REMAINS IN EFFECT!

STAY TUNED AS WE HAVE OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING SHORTLY (HINT: NEW FLAVOURS AND AS ALWAYS, NEW PROJECTS).

 

NEW TO THE SITE: 

1. A NEW BOOKING SYSTEM - THIS WILL ALLOW US TO KEEP ORGANIZED BETTER NEXT SUMMER DURING OUR BUSIEST TIME, TEACHING & TOURING THE FARM WITH YOU ALL! THIS WILL HELP US STREAMLINE TICKET SALES, SCHEDULING, AND AUTOMATE SOME PORTIONS OF THE PROCESS FOR YOU.

2. THE BEEK CLUB - NEW POINTS SYSTEM! YEP! YOU CAN NOW COLLECT POINTS ON YOUR PURCHASES ONLINE AND AT THE FARM STORE OR ANY MARKET WE MIGHT SEE YOU AT. THESE POINTS CAN BE REDEEMED ONLINE OR IN STORE FOR SWEET GOODIES! SIMPLY CREATE AN ACCOUNT ON OUR SITE AND LOGIN EACH TIME YOU CHECKOUT TO START RACKING THOSE POINTS UP!

3. NEW SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS - WE HAVE TIERED OUR SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES TO GIVE YOU BETTER OPTIONS. NEW THIS YEAR, A DIGITAL HIVE SPONSORSHIP (NO FARM VISIT REQUIRED), THIS OPENS OUR SPONSORSHIPS UP TO PARTICIPANTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES. WE HAVE ALSO AMENDED OUR BASE PACKAGE OFFERINGS TO ALLOW YOU TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR YEAR WITH US BETTER. LAUNCHING OCT 8TH. 

4. WORKSHOP & TOUR BOOKINGS OPEN - OUR 2022 DATES WILL BE RELEASED TONIGHT AND OPEN FOR BOOKING. IF GIFTING A TOUR, WE HAVE A GIFT VOUCHER WE CAN EMAIL YOU TO SLIP INTO A CARD!

5. NEW! POLLINATOR PATHWAY (2022) - NEW FOR 2022, WE WILL BE OPENING OUR POLLINATOR PATHWAY TRAIL WALK TO THE PUBLIC TO ENJOY. STARTING AT OUR HIVE SPONSOR DECK WITH 8 HIVES OVERLOOKING THE MILLBROOK VALLEY, STROLL THROUGH OUR ~1KM TRAIL PEPPERED WITH POLLINATOR FRIENDLY HERBS AND FLOWERS. INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET IS OUR FREE INTERACTIVE TRAIL GUIDEBOOK- WITH HAND DRAWN ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PLANTS & POLLINATORS AND INFORMATION ABOUT EACH! THIS DOUBLES AS A TAKE HOME COLOURING BOOK :) 

6. NEW! SLOVENIAN HIVE TOUR (2022) - NESTLED AT THE END OF THE POLLINATOR PATHWAY IS A CUSTOM BUILT SLOVENIAN STYLE BEE HOUSE. IN SLOVENIA, BEEHIVES ARE BUILT INTO THE WALLS OF STRUCTURES AND ARE ACCESSED VIA A CABINET-LIKE DOOR INSIDE THE BUILDING. THIS SETUP IS LESS DISRUPTIVE AND ALLOWS FOR MORE SELECTIVE HIVE INSPECTIONS. WE ARE SO EXCITED AND PROUD TO OFFER A ONE OF A KIND PEAK INTO THE SLOVENIAN BEE HOUSE NEXT SUMMER :) 

7. NEW! GENERAL FARM TOUR (2022) - NEW FOR NEXT YEAR, THIS TOUR IS NOT A HIVE TOUR OR CLASS, BUT MORE OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE FARM AS A WHOLE. TOUR THE FACILITY, WALK THE PROPERTY AND VIEW OUR GARDENS AND SPONSOR DECK HIVES (WEATHER PERMITTING). TICKETS ARE REQUIRED BUT CAN BE PURCHASED UP TO 24 HRS PRIOR TO THE VISIT DATE. POLLINATOR PATHWAY + SLOVENIAN HIVE TOUR ARE ADDITIONAL TO THIS TOUR BUT COULD BE BUNDLED FOR A FULL EXPERIENCE.