
The Process
From the
famous Hex River Valley, through Worcester and into the rest of the Breede River
Valley, we are a proud boutique honey producer. Sourcing exclusively from this
area by sojourning in some small eucalyptus forests, as well as the natural
western cape veld and wildflowers that exist so abundantly in the area, we aim
to provide what we know to be the richest and tastiest honey you can buy.
Our honey
is harvested from our own hives. One of the most important first steps of
ensuring the best honey, is to collect it only once completely ripe. Meticulous
care is taken to ensure that the nectar collected so diligently by the foraging
bees, is properly dehydrated by the processor bees. This is a process by which
these ladies re-work the collected nectar by re-ingesting, regurgitating it
into the storage cells of the honey comb, and fanning it with their wings to reduce
the water-content (typically down to about 18%). This process changes the collected
nectar into the stable, long-lasting source of food we call honey. The
concentrated final product is then sealed with a thin layer of bees-wax by
these extraordinary little chemists, capping each individual hexagonal cell to
preserve and protect it. Taking the needs of our bees into account, we only
harvest from their over-flow by collecting from the additional upper part of
the hive, called a “Super”, and leaving sufficient honey for their needs in the
heart of the hive, which is called the “Brood Box”.
The next
process is to extract the honey from the honeycomb. This is typically a
mechanical process, where the honeycomb (after un-capping) is placed in a
cylindrical container. Physics then takes over, and by means of centrifugal
force, the honey is swung out of the comb. To prevent damage to the comb
itself, this is typically done for 15 to 20 minutes at a rate of 255rpm (this
may however vary according to the honey type extractor size). The honey that runs
down the side-walls of the container, is then collected for bottling.
Pure Honey
nothing more and nothing less
The Product
While honey
harvested from the eucalyptus tree brings the golden colour of pure honey, the
surrounding veld and wildflowers work together to create a bouquet of flavours.
From the first Vygies of spring, through to the smokey late harvest nectar of
the Breedekloof Winelands, each flower and fruit plays its part in creating a
masterpiece on the palette. After years of experience in aiming to provide the
most consistent product, it has become our conviction to blend the various
types of honey collected, so as to highlight the best of all the contributions.
And because of this multifloral blending process, our honey will vary in
colour, according to the batch and the honey type.
To
facilitate this action, we heat our honey for up to 48 hours at no more than 45
degrees Celsius. This allows us to create the ideal conditions to package the product
in that it creates the viscosity needed to perfectly blend the various types of
honey sourced from different flowers, while protecting its unique taste and
natural health benefits from being destroyed by overheating. It also helps ease
the straining of the honey through a cheesecake cloth, so as to remove any
leaves, twigs and hive debris from the product, making it clear and clean, yet
keeping it as naturally raw as possible.
The most
important aspect of our story however, is our commitment to delivering the
richest, ripest, tastiest honey we can.