Bees...the next step
The story of the landscape
So what is the best use of this land? Before we came, it sat resting, recovering, and being reclaimed by the surrounding forest for 20 years. People before us farmed Organic Bananas, and before that it was a cattle loading point, and before that it was stripped of all of its timber, and before that it was a stop on a ridge-line track for the postal service, which followed forest paths laid long before all of this.
As all of these land uses took turns, the surrounding forest continued to grow. This piece of land is a small opening, an amphitheatre, completely surrounded by this forest.
Why bees belong here
Bees just seem to fit perfectly. So much so, that I still struggle to express my complete wonder of what it is they do.
The first time I opened a hive I was hooked. One hive, gifted as a housewarming present, became five, which quickly became 20, then 50, now 120 with no plans of slowing.
An organic farm surrounded by abundance
Our hives sit on our organic farm, where they access the green manures in between Ginger rotations. Within meters of the colonies are carpets of vetch, dense buckwheat, and huge sunflowers. This is just the entree, the real deal is just past this, in every direction. It is hard to find a word that reflects what awaits these bees once they take flight beyond our property. It must be like pure abundance for them, the ability to access the most richly unique and diversified vegetation on the east coast. This tangled profusion is their playground, their workspace, and these incredible little creatures distill all of that magnificence into a small hive.
Reading the hive like a book
If you look into that hive, and know what you are looking at, you can read like pages, the continuous story of the greater surroundings. Its like plugging into a live ecosystem barometer, with honey as a bonus for knowing the language. To stand amongst this process, to witness it, to be a part of it, and to truly comprehend what is occurring, is something that never leaves you. I struggle to express my complete wonder of what it is they do.
Our philosophy - bees come first
Our approach to keeping bees is simple, the bees come first. Our hives are stationary, meaning that we don’t move them all over the country chasing blossoms, that process stresses them out, there is plenty of food where they are. We always leave enough honey for each colonies needs, and we never, ever feed them sugar syrup.
Wild and locally adapted bees
These bees have been breeding with the wild populations that exist in the surrounding forest, they are locally adapted to the seasons, the abundances and the dearths. They are strong, healthy bees that are able to maintain thriving populations within this environment, and we aim to steer this momentum towards increasing and promoting their brilliance.
From our hives
Australian Raw Honey, harvested with care from our hives in the Tweed Valley, Northern NSW. Lightly filtered and never heated, this generous jar keeps honey flowing every day.
Our bees forage across one of Australia’s most botanically diverse regions, giving the honey a complex yet delicate flavour. This season’s harvest is light and buttery with soft floral undertones, reflecting the surrounding forests and valleys.
Bottled by us in small batches, it’s honey just as it is found in the hive. Simple, pure and traceable.
A generous jar for honey lovers, easy to reach for through the small rituals of the day -morning tea, warm toast, or a spoonful straight from the jar.
WHAT’S INSIDE
• Australian raw honey, 720g glass jar
• Pure, unprocessed, and never heated
• Lightly filtered to preserve natural properties
• Harvested with care using ethical beekeeping
ENJOY IT YOUR WAY
It’s heaven simply spread onto toast, in your morning coffee and added to salad dressings. Use as a glaze for meats and vegetables, or as a natural substitute for refined sugar in your recipes.
Australian Raw Honey – a delicious everyday staple for your family. Real honey with the kind of flavour that reminds you how good simple food can be.
At Sunny Times we keep bees with care and curiosity, taking a low-intervention approach and no shortcuts in how our honey is handled. It’s lightly filtered and never heated, preserving the natural enzymes, pollen and propolis found in the hive.
Our bees forage across the subtropical forests of the Tweed Valley in Northern NSW, giving the honey its distinctive character. This season’s harvest is light and buttery with delicate floral undertones, reflecting the landscape around our hives.
Golden, versatile and full of flavour, it’s an easy pantry staple for families who value honest honey for everyday moments.
WHAT’S INSIDE
• Australian raw honey, 380g glass jar
• Pure, unprocessed, and never heated
• Lightly filtered to preserve natural properties
• Harvested with care using ethical beekeeping
ENJOY IT YOUR WAY
Drizzle over yoghurt, spread onto toast, spoon into tea, add to salad dressings, use as a glaze for meats and vegetables, or as a natural substitute for refined sugar in your recipes.
Enjoy the simple joy of Australian honeycomb, harvested straight from our hives in the Tweed Valley, Northern NSW. Completely natural and unprocessed, it’s entirely edible. Pure and delicious.
We harvest once a year from strong, thriving hives during the Spring flow, when the bees are building fresh, delicate comb and filling it with the season’s first honey. The result is soft, melt-in-your-mouth honeycomb with light, floral notes.
It’s a little moment of simplicity from the hive. Silky raw honey and delicate soft beeswax. Kids love it and it won’t last long! A great all natural treat in their lunchbox. Yes a little sticky but so fun.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Pure Australian Honeycomb
Raw honeycomb straight from the hive
200g Resealable Container
ENJOY IT YOUR WAY
Perfect for grazing boards and charcuterie platters, paired with cheese, served on crumpets or pancakes, stirred through warm porridge, or enjoyed straight from the container (we do!).
