Sustainability

Sustainability at our heart

Sourcing sustainable environments in which to situate our beehives is of equal importance to the welfare of our bees at The London Honey Company.

As migratory bee farmers, we travel to the ends of the British countryside in search of some of the most obscure nectar sources our country has to offer.

We move colonies in line with the seasons, carefully considering time frames of budding flora to ensure there is always an abundance of nectar and pollen for our colonies to thrive. Working with slow farming practices is paramount when sourcing our bee sites.

With apiaries in the rolling hills of the Shropshire Long Mynd to the contrast of the south coast, we have a specific set of rules when finding sites and are incredibly selective when it comes to the farmers we work with.

We look for beautiful and un-spoilt farmland that hasn’t been aggressively farmed or drilled in addition to working with farmers who refuse the use of pesticides and insecticides. We have partnered with organic dairies and sustainable farmers to ensure our slow beekeeping practices not only produce the highest quality honey but the welfare of the bees and the crops on which they forage are carefully protected as well.

As members of Slow Food UK and accredited to the Soil Association, we support the cause to change the way we eat, farm and care for our natural world.

Our accreditations

SLOW BEEKEEPING

Slow beekeeping helps to define our sustainable approach and our individual methods.

This includes everything from the land we carefully source to how we transport and handle our bees, often refraining from wearing gloves to adapt a gentle approach to their handling. Supporting them to ensure they thrive throughout the winter and the unseasonal weather often experienced in the UK.

We source organic dairies, beautiful orchards, and other slow food locations finding land to situate the bees as far as possible from human interference.

Many of our sites grow more interesting and alternative nectar sources which cannot be found within mass production farms in the UK, a wonderous find for a slow beekeeping company like ours as we actively also discourage the cutting of hedgerows and grasses that contain a plethora of flora for the bees.

This synergy between slow farmer and beekeeper is of the highest importance to us.

The Soil Association

The London Honey Company holds Soil Association Accreditation, meaning we are licensed to handle certified Organic honeys. This includes our unique Organic Zambian Rainforest honey.

It is a fact that in the UK, we are unable to obtain certified organic honey from the British Isles.

In summary, this is due to the population density of our isle and the small size of many of the UK farms. If such a British organic certification existed, our remote hive locations would most certainly qualify and be top of the list.

Salsa Approved

The London Honey Company is Safe and Local Supplier approved (SALSA). We have our own sophisticated bottling line, and all our honey is bottled and labelled by automated machinery in our Bermondsey based London warehouse.

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