By the time he was 18, Norm had 300 beehives in the Yarra Valley, and as business expanded, he began to source honey from across Victoria. Norm’s youngest son Richard, a trained chef, is the third generation of the Collins clan to be involved in the business and remains committed to its core values.

“We do it all,” says Richard. “From beekeeping to extracting to packing and labelling. I like to call it real world honey made by real people.” Now based in Bendigo, Collins Honey’s range of products includes honey from ironbark trees in the Bendigo region, red stringybarks from Benalla, giant mallees from Hattah and red river gums around Mathoura on the Murray River.

The availability of these varieties is dictated by the seasons so the honey flavours change throughout the year. Collins Honey is widely available from supermarkets, farmers markets and other outlets. And it all started with a dad paying attention to his son.

collinshoney.com @collins_honey

Products:

• Pure honey in 500g and 1kg glass jars, 1kg plastic bucket or 400g squeeze bottle
• Creamed honey in 500g glass jars