The decline of the bee population is something we’re hearing more about. It’s a global problem that, as yet, doesn’t seem to have a global solution. CALIBRE recently spent some time with The Honeybee Man, Andre Cardona, a beekeeper, enthusiast and educator, at one of his apiaries, to learn more about bees, beekeeping and how we can all help.
The Honeybee Man
The Honeybee Man, as he’s become known, first gained experience with bees in his teenage years when he volunteered to help out with the hives which were housed within his school grounds. Beekeeping is something that gets under the skin of many of those who get involved, and after years of living in London, Andre and his family turned their backs on the rat race. They wanted to get back to a simple way of living, surrounded by nature and the faint buzz of the beehives.
Hertfordshire offered the family a chance to create their own Good Life, with space available to raise pigs and start a meat supply business, selling sausages on a stand at the local market, and to local hospitality venues.
As the business grew, so did the aspirations, and after a few years, Andre expanded the business to encompass his first love; beekeeping.
The Honeybee Experience
Andre’s love of his bees and passion for the subject is both evident and infectious. I have to admit to having been rather nervous about the idea of being in close proximity to four hives full of tens of thousands of bees, but once decked out in the right gear and with Andre’s calm experience guiding us, I found myself fascinated by these amazing creatures.
As we inspected the hives, looking for full frames which were packed with honey and ready to be removed, we chatted with Andre and discovered that his collection of hives wasn’t originally intended to have been quite the size it is now.
His reputation as a bee man grew, and so did the number of people contacting him to ask for advice about natural hives in their chimneys or gardens and how to remove them. Having had a few experiences with pest control companies not dealing with honeybees with the respect they deserve, Andre started rehoming swarms from the local area so that they could be nurtured and grow.
If there was no other home available, then Andre would find them a home among his own hives.
And so The Honeybee Man was born, offering consultancy services for bee management, as well as training and education on all things bee-related
and beekeeping experiences for those wanting to gain an insight into apiaries before embarking on their own beekeeping journey.
The Honeybee Spirit
Andre has most recently ventured into the distilling business. Cardona & Son Spirit Co produces a range of spirits, including a number of gins and rums, which have each been delicately infused with raw honey from his hives.
We tried a bottle of the Hitchin Honey Spiced Rum, which opens with autumnal spices on the nose, with sweet spices and a delicate touch of honey.
The flavour kicks off in the mouth, with a vibrancy to the taste that belies its youth. The honey comes to the fore, adding a seriously sweet touch, but it’s balanced by vanilla notes extracted from the oak barrels the base spirit is aged in. A background of citrus takes the edge off the sweet honey, making this a superbly balanced spiced rum.
Cardona is continuing on his mission to save the British Honeybee one cocktail at a time, using the spirits business to educate people on the vital role that bees play in biodiversity. To further that goal, he is donating a percentage of profits from each bottle sold to local biodiversity projects.
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