If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live. Albert Einstein.
Need I tell you that my wife was in 7th heaven when we stepped inside the shop. Now this is not just an ordinary shop, as you will see in the pictures below.
I have 24 pictures and a video, plus a link to the Simply Bee website in here for you to marvel at.
Unfortunately we didn't get to meet the owners, as we were under time constraints, but I introduce them here with their absolutely valuable work in the video.
Simply Bee is situated in the sleepy little town of Hopefield, 140 km’s North of Cape Town and in the heart of the famous West Coast fynbos area, home of our famous West Coast fynbos honey.
As creators and owners of Simply Bee our mission is to not only cultivate awareness of the benefits of using natural beeswax products but to also aid in bee conservation. Our beehives, it began with our father, who provided us with the foundation to not only create these products but to also continue a family legacy.
Simply Bee’s products offer all natural handmade products, free from harmful chemicals, synthetic fragrances and parabens. Making it safe and environmentally friendly.
Some pictures about the actual bee farming work.
Now lookee here below! A lovely Honey Badger and sadly they are on the red endangered list.
There is even a live observation center inside the shop.
The hives have glass panels which offer a safe opportunity to view a bee colony in their natural environment, and to learn in an unobtrusive yet safe way about the incredible work ethic and processes of how bees feed their young, make their honey and communicate with each other.
We offer special age appropriate educational packages for school groups, study groups or tourist groups.
By prior arrangement and if the weather permits, there can also be demonstrations arranged by the beekeeper to show visitors how honey is harvested, the tasting of honey and to learn more about the fascinating practices of the beekeeper.
On display in the centre, we have a life size Honey Badger taxidermy mount. Being a near threatened species, Simply Bee supports the fact that more should be done now to ensure the long-term survival of the African honey badgers before they reach a critical status on the IUCN Red List. All of Simply Bee’s hives are placed on badger-friendly stands.
Simply Bee offers special package deals for tour and school groups (over 10 people). Picnic style snack packs & drinks are available – bookings are essential to ensure this deal and full educational demonstrations.
You will see more of the actual farming and products manufacturing in the video.
Some more shots of the natural products below.
Finally as we left, the friendly aunty whispered to us; Thank you for coming and please tell your friends on Hive to also come and visit us.
What a place and we were stunned to discover the natural care of Simply Bee, as it matches our views on the essentiality of conservation. I thought that we would only see a soap and lotion shop but let me tell you that it was a real and lovely surprise to see love and care in action.
Helena and Pierre van der Westhuizen have put their life's work into this very worthy project, and they deserve all of the success with the popularity of Simply Bee.
Some of you know that I don't like to go into shops, as that is normally my wife's duty, but a shop like this would see me every day if I were to live in Hopefield.
So do yourself a favor, should you come to visit South Africa, then put the Simply Bee shop and farm at the top of your bucket list.
I hope that you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
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