Jemma Westing’s journey to making a sustainable and award-winning beekeeping enterprise began in 2020:
“The eco-therapeutic advantages of beekeeping and out of doors work had been amplified for me as I recovered from Lengthy Covid. It’s what made me determine to stroll away from the full-time confines of the pc display to determine my little firm and take an opportunity on it.”
Since then, Jem’s Bees (based mostly within the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk border) has gone on to win gold on the 2024 Cambridgeshire SME Enterprise Awards and Lone Wolf Enterprise of the Yr on the 2024 Enterprise Awards UK.
In addition to promoting honeybee produce on-line and at occasions, Jem helps with swarm assortment and runs instructional talks to assist newbie beekeepers get began. Encouraging individuals to “do it your self” and reuse is the core philosophy of Jem’s Bees:
“Recycling is straightforward however impactful. It retains prices low and saves supplies from waste piles. Undesirable supplies are very important in shaping one thing new.
“As a beekeeper, designer, maker, gardener, and recycler, I naturally gravitate towards DIY, make-your-own, and grow-your-own actions. I consciously scale back my impression and the enterprise’ impression by reusing and repurposing supplies.”
How can a enterprise stand out in a market the place sustainability is vital?
“When you don’t strive it, you’ll by no means know. I’d advocate working to your strengths so you may provide some extent of distinction out of your sector opponents.
“I used my profession expertise in design, recycling and publishing to create merchandise and evolve the model and its presence available in the market. Working with what’s accessible is the mantra of the enterprise and having a various vary of produce on the market (edible and non-edible) signifies that there’s all the time one thing I can promote when honey harvests are lean.”
What are the plans for the way forward for Jem’s Bees?
“My focus is now on cementing Jem’s Bees’ place available in the market and rising it in a sustainable, cautious approach. The aim for the subsequent couple of years is to assist new hobbyist beekeepers by offering them with wholesome, sturdy nucleus honeybee colonies. This will probably be a major focus for 2025-2026.”
