Family business is the bee’s knees

WHILE many of us are stuck at home, some businesses are still up and running alongside key workers.

One of those businesses which has self-isolation nailed is The Friendly Bee Company, located in the Ochil Hills with just farmland and wildlife for company.

The Friendly Bee Company has only been running for three years but it has already established a line of cosmetics as well as jars of golden honey which loyal customers still want, especially with the hayfever season upon us.

Tracy Robinson, who runs the farm alongside her sister Karen and dad Jeff, said: “We are a small family-run bee farm and only moved to our smallholding three years ago.

“Our whole ethos is to be part of the community and ensure we look after the beautiful environment in which we live.

“Our smallholding is located in the Ochil Hills but we have apiaries throughout

Perthshire, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirlingshire and Kinross-shire.

“While developing the honey bee farm, we have also been producing not only blossom and heather honey but beeswax candles and cosmetics, using beeswax and honey from our hives.

“We also breed Scottish native honey bees as a lot of the native species are dying out.”

In common with many rural businesses, The Friendly Bee Company normally attends farmers’ markets to sell its products but the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in them all being cancelled.

However, that doesn’t mean the company’s consumers are no longer eager for their honey fix.

Tracy said: “We are still developing new cosmetics lines – we have produced soaps, lip balms and bath fizzes, all of which are independently safety assessed.

“We only use natural ingredients and the products do not contain palm oil, sulphates or parabens.

“We usually sell our products at local farmers’ markets and agricultural shows which understandably in the current climate have all been cancelled.

“However, some of our regular customers have contacted us via Facebook.

“Since we supply a couple of local independent shops, other people have been supporting us by purchasing our honey from them.”