Located in the Township of Cavan Monaghan, Hunnabees Honey & Co. is not only producing quality honey but continues to find new way to invite visitors to connect with nature and learn about beekeeping.
Helping essential pollinators thrive while promoting ethical and responsible beekeeping is always front of mind for third-generation beekeepers David and Keri Nicolaou, who have been on their 100-acre farm in Millbrook since 2016.
Growing a mix of native and pollinator-friendly crops including milkweed, coneflower, lavender, and borage along with acres of wildflowers, the business produces honey in a variety of flavours and beeswax food wrap, as well as maple syrup, with all-new products launching this spring.
In the early years, Hunnabees started leading educational programming for beekeepers before shifting into general education opportunities, inviting the public to learn about their process and land. From guided tours to honey extractions, the events get guests connecting with the land and learning about beekeeping.
“It’s providing the opportunity for others to come see a beehive, come see a queen bee, and extract some honey together,” David says. “That really goes a long way for people understanding local food systems and appreciating the value of what we do. It goes hand-in-hand with being a steward of the land.”
To get even more visitors appreciative of the land and bees, Hunnabees will soon be introducing an apitherapy cabin. Also known as bee therapy, apitherapy uses the low-frequency vibrations of bees to promote relaxation and wellness. Opening this spring, the apitherapy cabin will offer visitors a therapeutic and peaceful experience where they can lie on a bed and meditate while listening to the hum of the bees and smelling the natural aromas of a bee hive, which include honey, propolis (“bee glue”), and beeswax.
“It’s another really fun way to connect people with nature,” David says. “I think it’s becoming more and more important to give people the opportunity to come experience nature in different ways.”
While many local restaurants and markets already use or sell Hunnabees products, David says Hunnabees is interested in becoming a member of the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale program so the business can reach an even wider wholesale market.
An economic development initiative designed to strengthen the capacity for local food distribution in Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and the City of Peterborough, the program’s Green Circle Food Hub developed with Graze & Gather connects food producers like Hunnabees with wholesale buyers like local resorts and restaurants.
This, David says, will be transformative because it means he can spend more time on the farm and less time on the road making deliveries or connecting with buyers.
“Ultimately my value is trying to be on the farm as much as I can, whether that’s running a tour, processing honey, making the flavours, beekeeping, planning new things, gardening, and being the steward of the land,” he says, noting they no longer even have the time to attend farmers’ markets.
“Getting away from the farm, especially on weekends, is hard because that’s when people want to do tours,” David adds.
To further help agricultural and agritourism businesses market themselves, Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes partner to deliver the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh program. The initiative provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for consumers to find local producers.
“These types of programs are going to be really important moving forward to connect farmers to opportunities and ultimately make their jobs easier and more efficient,” David says.
Hunnabees Honey & Co. is located at 1331 Zion Line in Millbrook. For more information and to shop online, visit hunnabees.com.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
