Discover Our Story
Our Mission
At HoneyComb Cabin, our mission is to provide authentic, sustainable, all natural products that promote a healthier and more eco-conscious lifestyle. By harnessing the benefits of honey and beeswax, we aim to create a positive impact on both your well-being and make our environment better for us all.
Who We Are
HoneyComb Cabin is located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was created from a need to live a more sustainable and natural life.
My husband, three kids, two dogs and I made the huge decision to sell our home and move to a more rural location.
The area our home is in is so beautiful, and we wanted to live closer to nature and in a way that we added to our environment, rather than take away from it.
I started small.
First a veg patch, with some fruit bushes. I learned very quickly to only grow the veg that my kids would eat! But then, what about the waste? There is always extra, and I did want to branch out into other veg. There are also the disasters. I tried carrots. They had huge green shoots sprouting from the ground. I was delighted, until I pulled them. Well, my little finger was bigger.
I had started a compost heap, but it was a pity that not everything would be eaten. So, along came the ducks.
They love my fresh veg, a point I make to my teenagers all the time!
Their eggs are amazing and so much bigger than chicken eggs. By this stage, I had grown a bit more confident. The feeling that you get from looking at your dinner plate and knowing that you have grown most of the food there is just indescribable. The ducks are so funny, they really are a fantastic addition to our home.
There was a slight problem though. I had noticed that some of the flowers on the fruit trees and veg had not been pollinated. I could potentially have a bigger yield of food if only everything had been fertilised. I have always been interested in beekeeping, but neither had the time, nor the space to do it. So, I signed up for an intro course in beekeeping.
I loved it.
Totally and completely hooked.
It is quite precarious. Beekeeping is basically asking a wild entity to live in a box made by humans and then expecting them to make us food. On top of being wild, they are also very smart. The more I studied them, the more fascinated I became, and the more I realised the vast amount of knowledge there is to learn about them. I am humbled by other beekeepers who have spent so many years studying and living with bees.
The association I am a member of advocates the keeping of the Native Irish Honeybee. It is a darker bee and has evolved to be accustomed to our climate. I find them a docile bee, very quiet, and of course, totally absorbed with their work. Bumblebees have that amazing and so recognisable ‘buzz’ but honeybees are quieter and you only really hear their ‘hum’ when you are close to their hive and there are lots of them.
But I started to think about all the other pollinators. Before I started keeping honeybees, someone was pollinating some of my veg. I didn’t want to knock them out of action. So, after a bit of study I found that there needs to be lots of forage available and to stay away from monoculture. It’s great having lots of flowers available during the summer, but the bees and other pollinators need to have food available year-round.
So! The veg patch grew. The range of veg grew. The times of year that they flowered grew. And the ducks are so much happier.
When I began the beekeeping course, a tutor did say that we would become more aware of the natural world around us. She was absolutely right.
Anything that I plant I am thinking about it’s use, but also how the pollinators can benefit as well. How our local, native, wild plants that grow long our hedgerows are a lifeline to pollinators and wildlife. With that, I stopped using weedkiller a long time ago and now also make my own plant food from nettles and comfrey leaves. This means that the food we produce, and our little patch of land have no pesticides used on them.
Over time our little HoneyComb Cabin family has grown. We have two cats, a brother and sister, whom we call, Hansel and Gretal. Chickens have made an appearance as well as two KuneKune pigs called Bacon and Bap. Sorry!
I have also started to make some products from the excess beeswax that my ladies produce. We started with candles and some beauty products. I thought, well, I don’t want toxins on my food, why would I use them anywhere else. People have loved receiving these as gifts and I decided, why not sell them!
A lot more complicated.
First, I needed more beeswax. Being a small producer, I was never going to get enough wax from my own hives. So, I have spent a lot of time sourcing wax from beekeepers who have the same focus as me.
Second, selling a cosmetic comes with a whole host of legislation and safety regulations. But, I was determined to make my product, my way. So, after a lot of research and product development I came up with a beeswax body butter and a beeswax solid hand bar. The Shea butter is Cruelty Free, Soil Association accredited Organic and Bumblebee Conservation Society approved. Nothing but the best!
I wanted a product that when you are using it, you know that not only are you benefiting from a natural, sustainable product but the place where it came from is benefiting as well.
So, a few years into my journey and I can positively say that as a family we definitely have made the right decision. The kids are loving it here, they have so much more freedom and know so much more of the world they live in.
There just maybe a few more additions to HoneyComb Cabin in the coming years. Goats may make their way here! And there are so many uses for goat’s milk. I hope they will like the veg!
I know that not everyone can make the changes we have so I would like you to join me on my journey. I can’t say that I know everything about our environment, but I am learning. I will most definitely make a few more mistakes but hopefully if I make them, you can avoid them.
Let’s see where this takes us!
I have learned so much. Not just about the environment, but that you really are never too old to start a new chapter in life. What you put into your life is what you get out. I am at peace with myself so much more and I have gained more than money can buy.
Still can’t grow carrots though!
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