"The ‘Blackwood Sanctuary’ is a family owned hobby farm, purchased by the Staub family in 1992. The Staub’s had prospects of moving away from city life and decided to raise their family in the country. All 33 acres of land are a combination of horse paddocks, vegetable gardens, 5 dams and a cherry orchard. The farm has always generated artisanal produce such as eggs, honey, fruit, vegetables and preserves.
Blackwood Honey operates on the farm but our bees are only wintered there. For most of Spring and Summer the hives are kept in different locations around regional Victoria. We are constantly scoping areas where there are nectar flows. Being an Apiarist is all about building relationships, as beekeepers we’re constantly forming bonds with other farmers and land owners - our bees help polinate their crops and fields, their produce provides our bees with nectar. As honey producers we’re aiming to hero the taste of each region by ensuring our bees are on specific flows. A highlight from this year was our flow of Blackberry nectar, harvested from Newbury. Having most of the ground covered by tree shade the blackberries flower in a staggered fashion allowing a longer bloom for the flowers and a longer harvest for the bees. The blackberry honey is rich and jammy - you’ll taste apricot, floral and boiled lollies in the jar"