About us
Ken Basterfield started beekeeping almost by accident in 1974 when he overheard a conversation about beekeeping, and subsequently arranged to swap some amateur radio equipment for a hive of bees. Little did he know what he was getting himself into!
Fascinated by this hobby, Ken's interest grew, and with it the number of beehives. Soon one hive had become ten hives, which necessitated his first 'out apiary' - an old walled garden of a derelict house. As an active member of both the Plymouth and Devon beekeeping associations, his knowledge and experience increased rapidly, and by the early 1980's he had grown his 'hobby' to over 100 beehives. His wife Maureen and young son Daniel were soon roped in to help!
During the 1980's, our family hobby continued, supplying many local health food shops, farm shops, and tourist attractions with finest quality Devon honey. Our honey stall became a regular fixture at local Agricultural Shows, and wewon numerous prizes at the Devon County Show for our honeys, fudges, and mead.
Ken continued to study and gain experience in beekeeping, writing articles and giving lectures, culminating in his gaining a National Diploma in Beekeeping, the highest academic award in British beekeeping, and broadly equivalent to a degree in beekeeping.
Despite the time and effort that went into the beekeeping, it was still a hobby. During the 1990's, beekeeping had to take a back seat as Ken and Maureen pursued their careers and Daniel went away to university. Over time, many of the hives and associated equipment were sold as the beekeeping activities were scaled down. Eventually Ken had a dozen hives remaining, which he kept for the simple enjoyment of spending a sunny afternoon working with the bees.
In 2004, having pursued a career in IT, Daniel was feeling less than satisfied with the demands of office life, and began to investigate alternative directions. Beekeeping called!
Thus it was that the old smokers and veils were dusted off, and the Basterfield family began beekeeping with renewed vigour. After a year of building up the hives and equipment as a spare-time activity, Daniel handed in his notice in March 2006, allowing him to become a full-time beekeeper. His plan is to steadily build up to 300-400 hives, producing a range of high-quality honey and hive products which will be sold once more through local shops, farmers markets, and Agricultural Shows, and of course online through this web site.
Please feel free to browse through our products. Each is made by hand using our own honey or beeswax, to traditional methods and recipes, and represents a little piece of the glorious Devon countryside for you to enjoy.