I’ll never forget the first time I opened a colony of honey bees. The air humming with the mesmerising buzz of hundreds of tiny wings taking flight. Beekeeping changed my life in ways I never expected.

When I received my bipolar diagnosis later in life, it hit me hard and left me in a kind of wilderness. I had just returned to England after several years in Canada, and I knew I needed to find a way to reconnect with nature and regain my balance. That’s when I stumbled into beekeeping and haven’t looked back.

As a result of my condition, I gave up alcohol, another 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 from 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 my bees to you with love.

Stephen x