A sweet win for Aylmer beekeepers

Thursday, March 6, 2008

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

The couple was selected from six finalists.

During a presentation describing their activities at the banquet, Chris Hiemstra joked that they “try to create a buzz around what we’re doing.”

The couple bought the business in 1999 from Chris’ father and took it over from him in 2000.

At the time, their customer base mainly consisted of “folks who came with big 70-lb pails (to buy) honey that would last them a year,” said Christy.

But the customer base was dwindling and the couple recognized that to survive in the business, they needed to find other products to sell.

In 2004, they began to collect bee pollen and sell it to health food stores and other beekeepers operating on-farm stores. Now they are “probably one of the biggest” producers of pollen in Canada, Chris said.

As well, they have established an on-farm store to sell honey and honey products and have developed other on-farm attractions such as a thistle maze, a recreation of an old Ontario street front and wagon rides.

An annual bee beard competition they launched four years ago has proved successful in gaining them not only national attention but also international notice.

The bees are also used to help pollinate crops such as apples, cucumbers and hybrid canola and New Brunswick’s low bush blueberry crops.

The business has had its challenges, Chris admitted, noting the couple struggled for years to control mites (they now use organic measures) and continue to encounter winter losses.

The Hiemstras were nominated for the award by the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association.

They will represent Ontario in the national competition to be held in Calgary in November.

The other finalists were Gert and Peggy Brekveld of Murillo, Dave and Christine Johnston of Listowel, Jeff and Eleanor Robinson of Osgoode, Jason and Jacklyn Ryder of Delhi and Len and Tracey Vis of Jersyville. BF