Event reminder: Gibbs Honey will be at The Review on Friday, March 22 from 10 am to 2 pm hosting a unique honey tasting experience. You can pick up some sweet products at their pop-up shop at The Review at 76 Main Street East in Vankleek Hill! It’s all part of Fun Fridays at The Review!
Seven years have passed since Russell Gibbs and Andrea Glenn took a life-changing risk. The thing is: it didn’t seem like a risk at the time to the young couple.
They pulled up stakes, left their jobs behind, took over the family business called Gibbs Honey, and bought a 111-acre farm on MacCallum’s Lane from where they run the business today.
Russell and his wife are the third generation to operate Gibbs Honey. Founded in 1934, the business is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. While they realize the importance of tradition, adding their new perspective and focus to the business is what will ensure it will continue for decades to come.
Although the business grew while owned by his uncles, Tim and Peter, Russell notes that before that, his grandfather started Gibbs Honey at a time when most people had farms. In those days, it was all about having something to sell that someone else didn’t have, Russell noted. His grandfather got into beekeeping around 1934. Beekeeping and making honey became a business.
Fast forward to 2017. Since Russell and Andrea took over, the couple has created a website, worked on branding, a new logo, marketing and social media. And they have plans. Lots of plans.
As they thought about growing the business, Russell says they realized that, “The vision Andrea and I had wasn’t being done.” This referred to the business model they had in mind.
It was about more than the number of hives, Russell explains. The couple added design and marketing to the business. And they have put more focus on retail. One recent success is the news that Whole Foods will be selling their products.
A conversation with Russell is probably a sample of the many conversations taking place at the family dinner table. From plans for beekeeping experiences on the farm, to overnight stays for guests–to recognizing the real value of their honey, the couple spends a lot of time thinking about what they do and what the future could hold.
Gibbs Honey recently opened a retail shop for their products at their farm. Russell and Andrea just returned from Italy, where Andrea took her Level 2 certification to become a honey sommelier–this intensive course involves memorization and analysis of 18 single varietal honeys, recognition of defects in honey and identifying the nectar sources of multi-floral blends. To their knowledge, only one or two others in Canada have reached this level, so it’s quite a rare and unique skill set. They look forward to sharing this education by running tastings on-farm, creating custom experiences for special events, as well as consulting with chefs and restaurants on honey tasting programs (think honey pairings or flights) and working with other beekeepers to provide tasting notes on their honey.
In Italy, they take honey as seriously as they take wine, Russell noted.
Fun fact: What makes honey taste the way it does? And why does the taste of honey vary? It’s all in the nectar. The difference could be related to what is thriving that year, Russell said.
While beekeeping can be a hobby, fewer and fewer people are trying to make a real business out of it.
“There are less than five beekeeping operations in Ontario which have been in business as long as we have,” Russell added.
Creating a retail shop on the farm means they can make better use of their space and in particular, they plan to welcome people to the farm by hosting tours and tastings. Education is important to Russell and Andrea, who believe it’s important to connect people to local food systems. During the season, when they are working in the field, having the shop on the farm is easier than going to a market in the city to sell their products.
While there is talk of business, new products, retail and marketing, the bee is at the heart of everything. Really. “Bees affect the yield of everything that grows.”
“If people had not brought in hives by the thousands, there would be no almonds coming out of California,” Russell commented, adding that bees are a huge part of our ecosystem.
What have they learned in the past seven years?
Russell says that in addition to learning about the industry, they have learned what it takes to keep a farm running.
“Running a farm is quite literally–work. It’s quite unforgiving and it’s tied to nature.”
Even something as simple as cutting the grass can take three hours, he says.
“But this work feels so connected and natural, compared to what I was doing before,” Russell says.
“It has been a real gift for us to be able to take this business on.”
It is the connection to nature that is humbling, he emphasizes.
“We work with little insects and we try to understand them but we cannot communicate with them. That never grows old,” Russell remarked.
There was a sense of connection to history, he said. “As we were taking this on, I realized how many people knew Gibbs Honey and members of my family.
Sweet dreams
Growing these connections into and beyond the local community, as well as serving the community is important to both Russell and Andrea. They look forward to offering tours on their farm.
Fun fact: Bees do what is called a waggle dance, where a bee walks in a certain configuration, communicating to the other bees the distance, direction and the quality of a patch of good nectar.
The world of bees is the most fascinating soap opera, Russell says, with respect.
When it comes to democracy, bees have nailed it, he continued. Every bee has its role and responsibility and you do it until you die, all for the greater good.
Russell is the first to admit that there has been a lot of fast-paced learning. “There is no playbook for what we are doing,” he says. They are also launching hydromels (mead) and plan to host an event around this on the farm this summer.
