Local Honey Ashby-de-la-Zouch

UK Honey Producer, Educator & Bee Advocate

The Bee Farmer is a passionate and professional UK bee farming business, based in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, specialising in locally produced honey, beekeeping education, workshops and honeybee experiences. The venture is led by David McDowell, a lifelong beekeeper with more than thirty years’ experience tending bees and producing honey across the East Midlands.

Inspired by nature and driven by quality, David turned his beekeeping passion into a full-time profession in 2014 after training with the Worker’s Education Association and later building commercial honey extraction facilities. Since then, The Bee Farmer has grown into a respected local honey brand, with honey harvested from hives managed in the National Forest and surrounding countryside.

The Bee Farmer offers a range of services that go beyond honey sales. These include educational talks, practical beekeeping workshops, honeybee experiences and colony visits, suitable for beginners, families and anyone curious about bees and pollinators. Many of these experiences take place in partnership with venues like Cattows Farm, where visitors can combine an outdoor day with insight into hive management and honey production.

In addition to its educational offerings, The Bee Farmer produces delicious, naturally flavoured honey and hive products, and supplies these through its online shop and local outlets. The business has gained recognition locally, including awards from Slow Food England and praise for its authentic, flavourful honey.

Alongside honey production, The Bee Farmer actively supports bee welfare and public awareness via talks, outreach, blog content and membership of organisations such as the British Beekeepers Association and the Bee Farmers’ Association.