Sweet Pure Honey
Sweet Pure Honey is the kind of small businesses that I absolutely love supporting. Kelly Snowden from Food & Wine first introduced me to Sweet Pure Honey when she included a few beeswax tea lights in her Recipe and Seed Swap package. I had just gotten my honeybees and I loved the candles, the packaging, everything. So I got in touch with Stella, who co-owns Sweet Pure Honey with her husband, Sheldon, and we’ve been chatting by email ever since.
Stella just has a wonderful presence and she is so passionate about honey, and her business, and her family. She and Sheldon raise bees–and three beautiful children–on the plains surrounding the small farm community of Porcupine Plains, Saskatchewan. Like so many beekeepers, Sheldon often has to work away from home during the winter to make ends meet, so they decided that rather than sell all of their honey to wholesale honey brokers, they would start a business that directly sells honey and beeswax products at a fair price for them and their customers.
They put together a wonderful selection of products–honey, lip and body balms, and long burning candles–made with honey from their hives.
They are committed to providing fair compensation for their partner farmers, giving back to their local community, and building a business that allows them to support their kids Marley, Sierra, and Lauren (who are almost too cute to handle, don’t you think?).
I am obsessed with their lip balm (it is pretty much the only thing that helps my constantly chapped lips) and their honey has an amazing floral flavor. Anyways, I just love Sweet Pure Honey and I hope you guys do too! You can find them online at Facebook (just search for sweetpurehoney.ca) and at their soon to be up-and-running website.
Oh my, those kids are adorable, and fabulous pictures all around! Willi, do you know how many hives they keep? Are they langstroth hives? Are they all located on their land, or do they have them on orchards? Just curious. Thanks for sharing!
November 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pmwhat amazing photos – the kids look like angels in that lighting. Oh, and the honey looks pretty darn tasty too.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:36 pm.-= Stevie´s last blog ..Sassy Goats, Begging Chickens and Chevre – A Vermont Farmstay =-.
Hi Justine, I will try to answer your questions, Sheldon has been away for almost 2 months now ( he will be home in 1 week ya!!)
November 18th, 2009 at 8:49 pmWe own 400 of our own hives. Sheldon runs the hives we own, along side and with several other established apiarists (thousands of hives in total between them all). The beekeepers all work together, with other local workers in a warehouses located 7km from our town.
In and around Porcupine Plain, we put the hives on farmers land for the bees to work the alfalfa, red clover, sweet clover, canola, and borage crops. The bees work Saskatchewan wild bloom around the surrounding area, which adds to the honey’s heady floral flavors.
Thanks for the curiosity, the website will offer affordable bee tours for anyone interested in checking us out!
Take care, Stella*
Hi Stella, thanks for your response. I’ll be checking your web site out when it’s up, a tour sounds fabulous! I’m a backyard beekeeper in seattle, just 2 hives, but my husband and I have enjoyed it so much that I sometimes think about doing it on a larger scale, it would be really interesting to do a bee tour sometime. Good luck to you and your family! Justine
November 19th, 2009 at 11:18 amThis is beautiful enough to be a magazine spread. The honey in the photos begs to be tasted, and those children, ah, they are lovely. I sometimes wish mine were that small again. I need some lip balm. My lips are also always chapped. Thanks for the heads up.~~Dee
November 21st, 2009 at 11:47 am.-= Dee/reddirtramblings´s last blog ..Why do you garden? =-.
oh you guys are too sweet, really thank you for all the wonderful words and positive feedback. It means soo much right now, Stella*
November 21st, 2009 at 4:09 pmI’m so happy you all enjoyed the photos of Stella’s family and Sweet Pure Honey! I had some of their honey on a crumpet this morning and it was so yummy!
November 21st, 2009 at 4:15 pmSweet Pure Honey looks amazing, as do these sweet pure kids. I love the angelic curly blond hair! I will definitely be looking for some honey and some lip balm when the site is up and running! Best of luck!
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 pmBBBZZZZzzzzz…
November 24th, 2009 at 10:52 amSweet site! Found it via homegrown.org when I saw my site listed. I look forward to following your food adventures!
November 24th, 2009 at 6:52 pm.-= Julie´s last blog ..soap making =-.
[...] Sweet Pure Honey. Image courtesy Digginfood.com. [...]
May 22nd, 2010 at 11:44 pmI would like to order 4 body butters and 4 lip balms. I have ordered in the past. Call 306-729-2216 or cell 306-530-4852. Send to 380 Quebec Street, Regina, Sk S4R 1K6. I will send a cheque in the mail or contacgt me for credit card infol. Thank you.
September 3rd, 2010 at 6:24 pm[...] images by boutique Californian honey company, Sweet Pure Honey. Have a look at this interview on Diggin Food for an interview with co-founder Stella Sehn and some more gorgeous images. Since then I’ve had [...]
September 21st, 2010 at 4:37 amHi stella
October 12th, 2010 at 4:43 pmfinally found you the pictures of the children are so nice and the sunflowers wow anyway just a quick note to let you know my new e-mail address is s_pitre@xplornet.ca stilll loving the honey
take care love sharon
Hi There,
How do I order from Sweet Pure Honey?
December 30th, 2010 at 9:46 pmHello there is is Stella here the founder of Sweet Pure Honey, you can order directly from us by phone or email. Our website is still under construction and will be done in the New Year. I can send you a price list and pictures if you provide your address. Thanks for your inquiry and we have loads of pics and information on our facebook site http://www.facebook.com/pages/sweetpurehoneyca/142338803605
December 31st, 2010 at 6:52 amoops here is our phone number 306.278.3028
December 31st, 2010 at 6:52 amHi Stella,
It was very nice to see you at the show. We were wanting to send you a little cinnamon to try. What is your address?
All the best,
March 2nd, 2011 at 2:47 pmChayah