Neepawa Rotary Club talks honey

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Published on Thursday, January 15, 2015

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner

Neepawa Rotary Club members received a lesson in the traditions and difficulties of the honey industry, as Tim Wendell, owner and operator of Wendell Honey spoke to the group last week.

Located near the border between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, in what some beekeepers call the “Golden Triangle”, Wendell Honey has been operating since the 1940s, when it was founded by John Wendell. In 1974, Tim took over the business from his father and he, his wife Isabel and their staff have worked to carry on the family tradition. Today, the farm carries 3,500 hives and produces one of the highest yields per hive in the world.

Wendell noted during his speech to Rotary that while the honey industry has been for the most part, doing well over the past decade, there have been many challenges. One of the most direct and concerning is the widespread use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which has been linked to the deaths of bees. Wendell stressed that it could have a massive impact on our ecological system.

“If you can keep your bees healthy, it’s a pretty good industry to be in. That’s the key. Is [the state of the industry] going to get worse? Yes, probably before it gets better it will. I don’t know. We have some issues,” said Wendell. “In the United States, there are more issues. In Ontario, there are issues. The issues include neonicotinoids that are being used in seed treatments. I don’t think that’s very good for the environment and it’s having a residual impact on bees.”

Wendell noted that the government needs to examine the use of neonicotinoids on a larger scale to ensure the long term stability of the honey industry. Wendell also discussed his company’s experience on the hit CBC television show Dragons’ Den. Marketing director Martin Neuhofer appeared on the program in 2013, looking for new investment and support to expand their company to the international stage. Jim Treliving, owner of Boston Pizza and Mr. Lube, invested $200,000 into the business in return for a 25 per cent stake in the company and 50 per cent controlling interest. Wendell said that partnership and the exposure from the show has done great things for them.

“It opened doors for us that otherwise would have likely remained closed,” said Wendell. “We are trying to get established and it was very difficult before Dragons’ Den when we would go into businesses and they’d say ‘We have that stuff’. But after we were on Dragons’ Den it opened up and they say ‘Oh, you were on Dragons’ Den? Come on in here, let’s have a look at what you’ve got.’ So that’s what it did for us.”

Wendell closed the discussion noting that despite the many twist, turns and difficulties the industry has dealt with over the years, his family remains passionate about the art of honey and do everything they can to share their knowledge and concerns for the world’s bees.