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Beekeepers Bank On One Honey Pot
At Bee Maid's Winnipeg production plant bottle after bottle after bottle of the cooperative's distinctive honey bear-shaped vessel is filled for the U.S. market.
Bee Maid Honey Ltd. is the Queen Bee of the Canadian honey making industry selling only 100% Canadian honey. It's an important promise at a time when honey products are being recalled from supermarket shelves.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has found that some honey originating from outside Canada contains a banned antibiotic called Nitrofuran - it's a drug that isn't used in Canadian honey. So consumers need a brand they can trust. In food production, its all about trust.
The head of the hive at Bee Maid is CEO, Gordon Marks.
Marks says, "Our beekeepers supply the best quality honey in the world." Quite a statement - but considering Bee Maid Honey products have never been recalled, it's a fair statement based on that alone.
If there is one word that Gordon uses a lot, it's "quality".
"We're relied upon for consistent quality. It's at the heart of what we do. Bee Maid standards are high."
Canadian honey is perceived to be the premium honey in the world.
"Canada is one of the few places where the country's name is used as a selling factor on the label, " he says, "and because of that we promise to supply and package only 100% Canadian honey. By sticking with this we have a loyal consumer and retail base."
And loyal they are. Bee Maid ships about 20 million pounds of the sweet stuff every year, generating $30 million in sales in 2003. Their honey products are shipped around the world. You'll see their jars and bottles in supermarkets across Canada and you've probably eaten their honey at a restaurant or bakery.
Bee Maid has the honey market cornered and is North America's largest single source...