Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

When I grew up in a small Village in Ireland, a beekeeper had bees on my dads land, I was intrigued…. Little did I realize it all started from there. Older now, and living in Canada, I started to develop allergies. A friend said “get some local honey and that would help” Skeptical, I added a spoonful to my coffee every morning and it worked - it w was from this moment, bees became a huge part of my life and our relationship has developed since. We have a relationship where we work with our bees. Our main inspiration is our kids and the drive to raise them in agriculture. We recognize that bees are amazing and fascinating and are an integral part of life and the food industry. We strive for better bee health, more sustainable agriculture and environmental sustainability. As the beekeeper, processor, packager & distributor, we can ensure our products are Pure. Honey naturally contains beneficial enzymes, vitamins and nutrients and we keep it that way. We use modern beekeeping techniques reducing stress and increasing the health of our colonies. We do not treat our bees with chemical’s or organic acids. The bees are left their own honey to eat through Winter and our bees are not systematically fed sugar. We in turn make less honey but our bees are healthier and our honey is pure. The location of our apiaries are strategically chosen to provide the most natural environment with the minimal exposure to agricultural chemicals. All the above creates a stronger healthier hive and a delicate and unmatched natural flavor and texture to our honey’s. These flavors come from what the bee’s harvest as opposed to added flavor after. Bees teach us that what we do as people isn’t sustainable. It’s like an early warning. It shows us that if we don’t reduce our impact drastically, it’s going to be difficult to repair globally. We work with the bee to learn, to grow and to thrive. Beekeeping is amazing.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Our community means everything to us. We at Pure Honey Products have been very lucky during (and now) after COVID to be supported by our local community. Our business had to adapt and change focus during COVID, but thankfully we have had a lot more local support and online business, which has been amazing. We push to sponsor local amazing events within our community. We teach the beekeeping courses at the College of the Rockies and we share our bee knowledge at the local schools and write articles for the local newspaper to share knowledge. We hope to educate and inspire young beekeepers. We also support the local fruit farmers during pollination and they support us through respecting the bees while in their orchards. We attend the surrounding local farmers markets and provide a quality product which clients are greatful for. We love holding field days for upcoming beekeepers to get hands on training and maybe times in the beeyard, people come say hello to us and the bees! They tell us they have planted bee friendly flowers for our bees! Community is amazing.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

There are so many people who deserve the Business Impact Award, I know how hard it is to run your own business. I nominated Pure Honey Products for a couple of reasons, we believe Pure Honey Products makes a difference to bee health. We encourage, promote and teach beekeeping which is very important for the future. We often do this just out of our passion for bees. We work extremely hard with the bees, always researching and testing to help the bee population, to help bee health and to make our products natural, pure and amazing. We have other jobs just to sustain this and many of the more natural methods we use, take more time and are not as profitable but we feel bee health is more important and our customers, so we work harder to create this. We are proud of our products and our bees. We have so many amazing customers, friends and fellow beekeepers. We feel this would be a tribute to the bees, to the hard work and to the amazing people who have support us.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Whilst striving for better bee health, more sustainable agriculture practices and environmental sustainability as mentioned above, we are passionate and through our teaching, we welcome new beekeepers and promote new beekeepers and their learning. We share our knowledge, our passion and our enthusiasm with fellow beekeepers, clients at the farmers markets and customers. We provide a sterling service, an amazing product and are always listening and striving to learn more. We feel Pure Honey Products is leading in bee health, pushing boundaries and always testing to help bees. Pure Honey Products moved to the Creston Valley to assist friends who were struggling to get enough bees to pollinate their crops. We continue to assist some of the main fruit growers in the area with their pollination services, whilst still providing amazing products and amazing customer service.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

Dee at Pure Honey Products makes a difference to the beekeeping industry and to bee health. She is passionate, motivated and always bettering herself and her bee farm. She encourages aspiring beekeepers through teaching and knowledge which she gives unconditionally. Dee works extremely hard with the bees, always researching and testing to help the bee population, to help bee health and to make amazing pure natural products. We feel this award would be a tribute to the hard work, the unconditional time and effort Dee offers to promote bee health, bees and education, all in her encouraging, energetic and beautiful smiling way.