About Us

Bees-R-Us is no ordinary bee keeping enterprise. It is a family affair that takes care of the whole process from hive to sealing the lids on the honey pots. Fiona and Stephen Black take pride in their work and bring to the customer a variety of honey flavours, on a small piece of land in rural Okato under the magnificent Mount Taranaki. They manage hundreds of hives from Urenui all around the coast of Taranaki to Manaia.

Their processing from the hive to the pot is important to them. The raw honey they extract, is exactly that RAW. Authentic to every last mouthful. The full honey boxes are brought into the packing shed where Fiona uncaps the cells, the bees have carefully hidden their honey under, and puts them in the extractor. Simple centrifugal force spins the honey out of the combs, then pumped through the filter into the vat. From the vat into the pots. No creaming, no heating, nothing added. It is literally from hive to pot on the spot.

It all started in 2001 on a whim when Stephen decided he wanted a beehive. At that time Fiona wasn’t even interested. Now hundreds of hives later Fiona is more than a beekeeper. Their business not only takes care of bees but also does all the extraction and packing. You can be sure they know their product because they are in touch with it all the way. Fiona handles most of the honey extraction, packing, sales and administration. When you call, it will be Fiona at the end of the line.

But more than just keeping the bees she has become an expert. She now delivers entertaining talks to interested groups, taking along her demonstration beehive and smoke puffer. The story of how bees make honey is fascinating and more involved than you might realise.

Phone (06) 757 5675 if you would like to make a booking for Fiona to talk to your group. An experience you will not regret.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR BEHIND THE SCENES

YOU MIGHT LIKE TO MEET FIONA AND STEPHEN IN PERSON
You will find them frequenting stalls at markets around North Taranaki here are links to a couple of regulars:

Farmers market at the Huatoki Plaza on  a Sunday Morning

The Coastal Market fortnightly at Okato on a Wednesday late afternoon

Prospero Market in Stratford the last Saturday of the month 9am – 12 noon

FOR FURTHER READING:
Here are a couple of articles written about us: 

A newspaper Article from the Taranaki Daily News
B-is-for-Bee-Week

An article from Taranaki Farming Lifestyles March 2014
Business is Buzzing

If you would like more information about bee keeping in New Zealand here is the
Link to the National Beekeepers Association of New Zealand

Bees-R-Us were featured on Country Calendar. Click image to watch video.