L'Abeille charentaise - Miellerie

L'abeille charentaise sells beehive products and breeding section (swarm, fertilised queen, virgin queen, royal cell). Grégory, who shares his passion for his profession with us… How did you become a beekeeper? There were already beekeepers in my family. It was my great-uncle who passed this passion on to me. I’ve loved bees ever since I was a lad. I already had a hive at home and had done a course for amateur beekeepers, so I knew the ropes. I used to work in a sports shop and for the SNCF. My role was made redundant, so I completed a Professional Certificate in Beekeeping Farm Management in 2019 and set up my own business in March 2020 in the heart of the Saintonge region. How many hives do you have and what products do you offer? I have between 150 and 200 hives, depending on the season. I produce spring honey, chestnut honey, acacia honey, buckwheat honey, sunflower honey and forest honey. I sell confectionery and honey-based products such as sweets, propolis spray, soaps, beeswax and even beer. I also breed queen bees and manage swarms. And I work with other beekeepers on queen selection. What do you enjoy about your job? I chose this profession to be close to nature and to work outdoors. It’s time-consuming, so you really have to be passionate about it. I really enjoy the technical side of things, such as rearing, insemination and grafting… I’m also interested in the business side of things, looking to develop as many innovative and original products as possible. In fact, I’d like to develop new products, refine my bee selection and be able to establish myself within the next few years. For the moment, I’m still working 20 hours a week as an employee in a sports shop.