Allow us to introduce ourselves...
Hi, my name is Jenny and my husband is Julian. We are not apiarists and not even Tasmanian (sorry about that). So why are we crazy about Tasmanian Wilderness honey? Here's how it happenned.... We are from Melbourne, but on holiday in Tasmania, we fell in love with the unspoilt wild places that take up most of this big island. On our first day, we stumbled across a honey farm... wow, that honey was so good! And the idea was born. An eco-friendly, nutritious, delicious, unadulterated, natural product...Hey, everyone should know about this!
I grew up around health foods. My mother always tried to avoid processed foods and artificial additives. Mum also used natural remedies rather than antibiotics whenever possible. As a result I grew up with a respect and love for nature and natural produce. Most of us are also aware that honey, aside from being a delicious natural food with proven medical applications, is also a by-product of the vital service that honey bees perform in the web of life by polinating flowers. Without their service many plants would be unable to reproduce. In fact, it has been calculated that as much as 30 per cent of all human food is directly or indirectly dependent on pollination by bees.
Unfortunately many crops that honey bees are used to pollinate are commercial food crops which depend heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. One can't help wondering whether to some extent the nectar which is collected from these crops would also contain traces of these pollutants. Another drawback with most commercially produced honey is that the honey is heated in order to filter it and to prevent the candying process, but heating the honey interferes with its make-up and can alter its taste.
The first honey farm we came across in Tasmania explained that they used a cool extraction process for all their honey. My curiosity was piqued, such a clean unspoiled environment, an eco-friendly product, and a cool extraction process, which maintains all the original value of the product. I thought to myself, 'I bet there are a lot more people like me who are both health and environment conscious and would like to know about this honey.' On returning from the holiday, I started researching Tasmanian honey. I found that honey is quite a significant export product for the Tasmanian economy, especially its unique Leatherwood honey, and Tasmania has a number of excellent apiaries. From there I began researching the features of each of the honey farms. I was most struck by Blue Hill's integrity and transparancy, not to mention their fabulous location.
Blue Hills Honey is owned and operated by the Charles family, the business roots tracing back three generations to Bernard Charles who kept bees as a hobby and a source of food. Rueben Charles (son of Bernard) and his wife Beryl expanded production to some 1600 hives and saw the business develop into a major bulk honey producer and the first Australian firm to export honey to Japan in the 1960's. Rueben's son Robbie then began managing the business in the 1990's and along with his wife, Nicola (and two children Thomas and Ella), oversaw the establishment of a packaging facility for retail and export markets in 2004.
Some features which make Blue Hills honey stand out as truly premium honey
The Environment Tasmania is the only place in the world where Leatherwood honey is produced and Blue Hills are the only apiarists to operate in the heart of the pristine temperate rainforests of the Tarkine Wilderness (home to some of the world's cleanest air and water). None of Blue Hills honey is collected from commercial crops, it is all collected from wild sources.
Quality Assured Blue Hills Honey was the first Australian honey producer to implement a stringent industry-initiated quality assurance program in accordance with Australian and New Zealand food safety requirements, a programme based on HACCP principles. Blue Hills are HACCP accredited and are registered with the American Food and Drug Administration.
Cold Extracted Blue Hills employs a cold extraction process for all their honey; this ensures that all natural components of the honey are retained. Cold extraction takes place at temperatures of less than 45C.
GMO Free Tasmania has a morotorium on gmo crops.
Current Awards Finalist in the Tasmanian Export Awards 2005, and in the Agribusiness and Emerging Exporter Awards. Two gold medals at the Tasmanian Fine Food Awards 2005 and a bronze medal in 2006.
My husband and I are so enthusiastic about the quality of Blue Hills Honey that we've built this website exclusively to promote it! We're sure you and your friends will enjoy it just as much as we have.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Julian and Jenny Chow
