CAROLYN HOLMES WITH HUSBAND GRAEME. PICTURE: PEN TAYLOR
From the hive to the world INDUSTRY FEATURE
When your business is rooted in something as timeless as beekeeping, you might think things stay the same year after year. But for Blue Hills Honey, a family-owned Tasmanian enterprise that started with a few hives in 1955, the journey has been anything but static. W hat began on the rugged northwest coast as a small operation has evolved into one of the most globally recognised names in honey – and the first Australian company to export honey to Japan. Founded by Reuben and Beryl Charles and now led by managing director and co-owner Nicola Charles and her husband Robbie, the third-generation business is both a steward of tradition and a pioneer of innovation. While the bees may still buzz the same way they did 70 years ago, the business has adapted to meet the changing tastes, health trends, and expectations of a worldwide customer base, which first started with exports to Japan in 1960. “The business originally was we had our keepers, we got the honey and we sold honey to a major packer, so there wasn’t a lot of engagement with the customer,” Nicola says. “As we’ve evolved
through the business, we’ve actually taken that on, so rather than sell to a packer, we’ve started our own retail branding and selling, and in the last five years, started to sell direct to the public as well. “We have always had the public visit and drop in behind the scenes to grab their bucket or their pale of honey. But we’ve pushed that further along when it became obvious that it’s something we needed to expand. There’s a few of the older photos that feature out in the interpretation centre of the original start up of the site, which is actually where
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Tasmanian Hospitality Review August/September Edition
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