I will never forget the first time I opened up a colony of honey bees. The air humming with the mesmerizing buzz of hundreds of tiny wings taking flight. Beekeeping changed everything for me.

Having just returned to England from several happy years living in Canada, I was feeling a little adrift. I knew I needed to ground myself, and connecting with nature has always helped me to find balance in my life. I stumbled into beekeeping, and I never looked back.

As a part of my quest for a healthy happy life, I also gave up alcohol - a blow for an enthusiastic homebrewer. But instead of closing a door, this decision opened one. I turned my love of brewing to experimenting with fermented soft drinks, looking for that something special.

At the time there were very few options for non-drinkers when socialising with friends. The no-lo alcohol market hadn’t emerged yet and soft drink options were limited to sodas. I craved something different, a crafted session drink, that I could enjoy with friends, without the haze of alcohol.

All of this led me to craft my first cold-brewed sparkling tea, and combine it with the honey from my bees. I realised I had created a healthy, unique drink, something very different to the regular soft drinks on the market today. To my great surprise, people loved it.

And so, after multiple rounds of experimentation, trying to find the right blend of tea, and the best balance of its delicate, yet complex flavours with depth and character of pure honey, Black Bear Honey Co. sparkling cold brew tea was born.

From the bees to the bottle, with a lot of love.

Stephen x