Life is sweet

For Jess Curtis, honey is a craft of passion and love. Photos: supplied

Cardrona beekeeper Jess Curtis has been named one of 17 New Zealand Outstanding Food Producers for her raw clover blend honey. She tells Rebecca Fox about her passion for bees.

Depending on the weather and what plants flourish in the Cardrona Valley Jess Curtis’ honey harvest is slightly different each year.

"So in some ways perfecting the product this year comes down to the bees’ hard work."

This year’s product, her raw clover blend honey won the Earth Champion award and her creamed clover blend and comb honey won gold medals.

The judges described the champion honey as having "Fabulous aroma. Viscosity is great and looks luscious".

Learning of her win at the awards ceremony in Auckland recently, she said she was a "little bit shocked".

"There were a lot of finalists in the Earth category and it covers such a broad range of products so I feel very very honoured to have been chosen as the category winner."

The success came off the back of a dry, windy summer in the Cardrona Valley which affected the honey flow.

"But we’ve still had a good enough harvest and our hives are looking strong going into winter."

Curtis checking on her hive.

She also puts her success down to growing as a beekeeper. She took up beekeeping as an 18-year-old, about five years ago, inspired by her grandfather Ray Anderson who brought bees to their family’s sheep and beef station in the Cardrona Valley in 1998 to help with pollination and regeneration of crops.

Curtis, the fifth generation to live and work at Branch Creek, decided to become a beekeeper and develop the family’s hives into a commercial enterprise, Branch Creek Honey.

"I’ve also just grown as a beekeeper. I like to think I know my bees really well and I aim to work with them and support them to craft our beautiful honey. Each season is different though."

She loves how varied her job is day to day.

"I get to see the real impact of my work and the bees’ work on our family farm."

She believes every beekeeper produces special honey.

"For me though our honey is a craft of love and passion, for our bees and our land."

Winning the national award is a "boost" for small producers like herself, she says. It helps get their products recognised and gives customers trust in their quality.

"We’ve just had the Earth category sponsor, Farro’s, come on board as a stockist, our first in Auckland."

Curtis’ Earth Champion raw clover blend honey.

It is also special as it raises the profile of a floral type of honey that is less known and celebrated than other New Zealand honey, she says.

"Usually New Zealand is recognised and celebrated for its Manuka honeys, so it’s really cool to be able to represent a honey of a floral type [clover] that is less on the map and show that other floral types are also great."

She is continuing to work on the product including perfecting the honey’s packaging, switching to a more environmentally friendly labelling material and adding in home compostable tamper seals.

It can be a juggle at times for Curtis, balancing the business side and the beekeeping, although she enjoys the business and online side as well.

"I’ve found when things get really busy I have to set myself realistic goals of how much I can achieve in a day. I write lists and try to remember to ask for help when I need it.

"It’s really rewarding to be able to sell our honey direct to our fantastic customers and share our knowledge through our website and social media channels."

She sells to the local market, including farmers markets, at events and to cafes and restaurants, finding there is real demand for honey products.

"Our honey is great as an everyday honey, for use with hot drinks and in cooking and baking but I have also found that a lot of our local customers say our honey has helped with their allergies and hay fever and some even are using it to make their own beauty products."

For Curtis though nothing beats trying honey straight from the hive throughout the season.

Pure South’s Handpicked Beef 55-day Aged Ribeye was named co-Paddock Champion.

"But on the day-to-day I’m a honey-on-toast gal all the way. That’s how I grew up eating honey."

Awards head judge, Lauraine Jacobs who led 25 judges assessing the products, said judging the awards was exciting and at times quite surprising.

"After eight years we are continuing to see new products emerge and producers have even more imagination and show more innovation in presentation and taste as they develop new food ideas.

"There’s always a danger that new ideas can be over the top — but this year there was plenty to stimulate the palate without making really good natural food too over-spiced and processed.

"It’s also pleasing to note there’s still a place for both tiny operators alongside the major food producers to stock our pantries and stores."

Another southern champion was Pure South which co-won the Paddock Champion with its Handpicked Beef 55-day Aged Ribeye alongside Matangi Angus Beef, Matangi Bavette.

The overall champion award went to Mind Your Temper’s vegan Black Forest Bonbon, crafted from plant-based chocolate, created by Christchurch’s Nel Vincencio.