If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live. Albert Einstein.
Need I tell you that my wife was in 7th heaven when we stepped inside the shop. Now this is not just an ordinary shop, as you will see in the pictures below.
I have 24 pictures and a video, plus a link to the Simply Bee website in here for you to marvel at.
Unfortunately we didn't get to meet the owners, as we were under time constraints, but I introduce them here with their absolutely valuable work in the video.
Simply Bee is situated in the sleepy little town of Hopefield, 140 km’s North of Cape Town and in the heart of the famous West Coast fynbos area, home of our famous West Coast fynbos honey.
As creators and owners of Simply Bee our mission is to not only cultivate awareness of the benefits of using natural beeswax products but to also aid in bee conservation. Our beehives, it began with our father, who provided us with the foundation to not only create these products but to also continue a family legacy.
Simply Bee’s products offer all natural handmade products, free from harmful chemicals, synthetic fragrances and parabens. Making it safe and environmentally friendly.
Some pictures about the actual bee farming work.
Now lookee here below! A lovely Honey Badger and sadly they are on the red endangered list.
There is even a live observation center inside the shop.
The hives have glass panels which offer a safe opportunity to view a bee colony in their natural environment, and to learn in an unobtrusive yet safe way about the incredible work ethic and processes of how bees feed their young, make their honey and communicate with each other.
We offer special age appropriate educational packages for school groups, study groups or tourist groups.
By prior arrangement and if the weather permits, there can also be demonstrations arranged by the beekeeper to show visitors how honey is harvested, the tasting of honey and to learn more about the fascinating practices of the beekeeper.
On display in the centre, we have a life size Honey Badger taxidermy mount. Being a near threatened species, Simply Bee supports the fact that more should be done now to ensure the long-term survival of the African honey badgers before they reach a critical status on the IUCN Red List. All of Simply Bee’s hives are placed on badger-friendly stands.
Simply Bee offers special package deals for tour and school groups (over 10 people). Picnic style snack packs & drinks are available – bookings are essential to ensure this deal and full educational demonstrations.
You will see more of the actual farming and products manufacturing in the video.
Some more shots of the natural products below.
Finally as we left, the friendly aunty whispered to us; Thank you for coming and please tell your friends on Hive to also come and visit us.
What a place and we were stunned to discover the natural care of Simply Bee, as it matches our views on the essentiality of conservation. I thought that we would only see a soap and lotion shop but let me tell you that it was a real and lovely surprise to see love and care in action.
Helena and Pierre van der Westhuizen have put their life's work into this very worthy project, and they deserve all of the success with the popularity of Simply Bee.
Some of you know that I don't like to go into shops, as that is normally my wife's duty, but a shop like this would see me every day if I were to live in Hopefield.
So do yourself a favor, should you come to visit South Africa, then put the Simply Bee shop and farm at the top of your bucket list.
I hope that you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
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This quote from Einstein really highlights the critical importance of bees to the ecosystem and human survival.
Bees are essential for pollinating many of the crops we rely on daily. It’s wonderful to see businesses like Simply Bee taking initiative in both conservation and education to protect these invaluable creatures.
Yes, indeed and not only the bees, but all of the pollinating insects. Sadly so many are killed off by pesticides, especially in the farming areas and we are very troubled by that. Many efforts have been made to fight this curse, but the pesticide conglomerate, very similar to big pharma are too strong to take notice of the damages that their products cause. It is all for profit of course, until the last bird sings.
It looks like a very nice place, the perfect place to discover all the treasures bees give us. ❤️
Thank you Lady Sylvia and yes, the area is well suited for the bees to prosper. The products, especially the pure honey is very healthy !LUV
@silviabeneforti, @papilloncharity(6/10) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoHere is some interesting information for you! The owners of the shop are my family! The bee business has been in the family for a few generations, they also supplied honey to shops across SA for years. I hope you had a wonderful time there, I also plan on visiting again later this year 😁
So strange, as another hive member @riki1 has also told me that her that owners are nieces of her husband. Are you and her also related?
In any case, I am trying to promote worthy causes in our country in the hope that some tourists will place the causes in my posts on their lists of places to visit when they come to South Africa. I was told that busloads of tourists travel that way every year for the flower show in Darling and also to Langebaan. So on the way they can also pop in at Simply Bee.
Great to see that they are also your family.
!PIZZA and !LUV
@misshugo, @papilloncharity(2/10) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoYes! We are also related 😁. The world is a small place won't you say?
I agree with putting "good cause" places on the map. We have a lot of wonderful small business promoting the good in the world, but we tend to look past them.
The world is indeed a small place, and if only we all realize it.
We have to do what we can to promote our country and to show the many worthy causes that we have here.
!PIZZA and !LUV
@misshugo, @papilloncharity(3/10) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. Info$PIZZA slices delivered:
@papilloncharity(2/15) tipped @lizelle
papilloncharity tipped misshugo (x2)
What a really lovely honey shop, I like the old couple keeping an eye on the visitors. (Oupa and Ouma sitting on the stoep perhaps?)
The soaps look gorgeous, honey & nuts would be tempting me as well. It's not easy finding good honey in the city anymore.
Arthur used to help a beekeeper in his younger days, and then years later I was asked to patch a beekeeper's suit and replace the netting, not an easy job. Never again!
It looks like you had fun in Hopefield my friend.
Thank you Lady Lizzie, and yes, that shop was a real blast to the senses. We heard a couple visiting the shop also saying, Oupa and Ouma sitting on the stoep. !LOL
Everything organic and pure. There were so many products including the honey that it made my head spin.
You Arthur was a very versatile man and I don't know the insides of a beekeeper suit, as I am allergic to bee stings. Stung 3 times in my life and each time I ended up in hospital. Not that I blame the bees as they are wonderful little critters. As you know I also like to get them on camera.
Hopefield is a great little town, with a very low, mostly petty crime rate. Pity that we cannot live there as it is on the West coast and way too hot for us.
Blessings! !PIZZA and !LUV
@lizelle, @papilloncharity(2/10) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
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