Cilgwenyn Bee Farm in Carmarthenshire was recently announced as the winner of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair Rising Sustainability Star Award, due to its holistic approach to business after transforming a disused coal mine into a brand new bee farm and offering carbon-neutral honey.
Based in Llangennech, Rhodri Owen and Richard Jones began their commercial business back in 2010 after keeping bees for many years beforehand.
They now produce award-winning, great tasting Welsh raw artisan honey from different parts of Wales, available to buy online.
However, at the heart of their business are their ethical and sustainability values to combat climate change.
Over the years they have implemented a number of initiatives to produce carbon neutral honey, that include creating their own electricity through solar power and planting enough trees to offset 30-years of production of jars and lids.
They also give back to their community by training veterans for free to help combat Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
‘We are delighted to be recognised for our work’
Commenting on the award, Rhodri said:
“We are delighted to be recognised for our work in helping to save our planet. Sustainability and the environment are key to our business plan.
“It was never and still is not about money, but a steadfast belief in helping the environment and providing the public with honest and unadulterated high quality raw Welsh Honey from beekeepers.
“For some time we have been concerned about the impact we have as a species on this planet which affects biodiversity, ecology and the climate.
“We are all intertwined yet we, as humans, are creating the biggest affect, and not always in a good way.
“We ensure we reduce our emissions by using only parts which are sustainable, we produce our own electricity and when we need to purchase electricity we only buy green energy,” Rhodri continued.
Whilst being sustainable in energy terms we also ensure all of our products are supplied in recyclable materials.
“Our glass jars are made from 88% recycled material, our steel lids are recyclable, while also made from some recycled material and our labels and boxes are made to be recycled again with a proportion of recycled material.
“So we are plastic-free, but there is energy used in their manufacture. To mitigate these we are planting trees on our own land to capture CO2 over a 100-year lifespan.
“We are planting many trees to make sure we cover the needs of the business for many years to come.
“In addition, by buying our Welsh honey, everyone is supporting not just agriculture and farming, but helping to reduce the risk of climate change.
This is helped by ensuring pollination happens as the diversity of plants ensures that they survive.
“The more of our raw artisan honey is consumed, the more everyone is helping to reduce CO2, reduce plastics, reduce the effect of businesses on the climate and create more natural pollinators,” Rhodri concluded.
