Yogi Tuckwell-Williamson launched Forres’ The Moray Honey Company in mid-July 2020.
The idea to start up a honey business didn’t come from thin air.
It came from her late father, who went by Tuckers.
Yogi, 48, was his apprentice beekeeper for a number of years, which ignited a passion that has grown year-on-year.
“We took over my dad’s three hives in 2018 and moved them from Stratford upon Avon to our house in Rafford, Forres,” says the director.
“Then, we started to grow the number of hives to the point we had a lot of honey and started selling some.”
The Moray Honey Company: ‘A fulfilling business my father and I could work on in his retirement’
The business was a way for Tuckers and Yogi, from Forres, to work together in his retirement.
But sadly, Tuckers died of Covid at the beginning of 2021 — just before joining Yogi on running The Moray Honey Company.
Despite the difficult period, she has continued to expand the company.
“From there [the launch] we have grown the number of hives and the business into a premium honey producer — along with our chilli jam and condiments that we produce in our Forres factory,” adds Yogi.
More on the award-winning product range that has honey fans bee-sotted
The Moray Honey Company has three honeys it sells.
They include soft set, raw and heather, which gained a one-star rating in this year’s Great Taste Awards.
It also produces an award-winning chilli jam, a dressing — made using a third-generation secret family recipe — and two flavours of tablet, along with cosmetic products.
In terms of the most popular products, Yogi says “the heather honey is amazing”.
“People really do love its flavour and texture,” she added.
“But I think the heather honey tablet that we launched in August is fast-becoming a best-seller in shops and at markets. It is selling out as quick as we can make it.
“The chilli jam is my favourite. It is perfect with a cheeseboard and a glass of red wine.
“It is also a sentimental product as this was my dad’s own recipe.
“We started to produce this as a legacy to my dad after we sadly lost him to Covid-19 in February 2021.”
Yogi talks honey-making process — plus where you can find the range
Yogi went on to say: “[We have] millions of bees. There are too many to count as they won’t stand still…
“Roughly, there are about 60,000 bees in each hive.
“It takes roughly 40 to 60 days for bees to make honey to harvest.”
The Moray Honey Company owner isn’t in it alone. In total, there are four people overseeing the process from start-to-finish.
She shared what this process involves.
“The bee collects pollen. Then when they’re back at the hive, the pollen is broken down into simple sugars and stored inside the honeycomb.
“Afterwards, the bees fan the liquid causing evaporation and this makes sweet honey.
“Our honey is as nature intended — hive to jar and not pasteurised at all.”
You’ll find the range in 68 shops across the UK.
They include Forres’ The Pantry, Marshall’s Farm Shop in Kintore, and Inverness Airport’s The Whisky Cellar.
Yogi adds: “We also have stalls at farmers’ markets around the north and north-east, and our website’s online shop.
“The Moray Honey Company has many plans in the pipeline. We are constantly researching and developing new recipes for new products.
“This year so far, we have successfully launched three new products and we’ll be launching more in the next six months.”
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You can also read Karla’s latest articles in the P&J’s Food and Drink magazine, which you’ll find inside your Press and Journal newspaper every Saturday.
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