This is our very first blog post and what a better way to begin with an explanation of our name.
Whenever one starts a new business they need a name and a logo that reflects who they are and the products they sell. Knowing that we would be in the bee business, we called a family meeting to allow the creative juices to flow. The list of random names was amazing, "Heather's Honey", "Sweet Treats", and "Crouse's Bee Farm" were some of the suggestions that I feel comfortable sharing in a blog post!! Prior to the rapid expansion of our apiary, there was a belief that I could look after the bees during the summer and fall, and then spend the winter in the wood working shop creating outdoor furniture. These wood products could be sold along side of our honey and hive products in our retail farm shop. Not only would it extend our product offering, but it would keep me busy year around ! So it was Heather who came up with the very simple name " Wood'n'Hive", which would identify us as people who make things out of wood and also have hive products.
If you are reading this blog and having been to the shop recently, you are asking the question "Where is all the wooden furniture ?" The answer is simply, it does not exist! We realized a few months into the expansion that beekeeping is a 12 month business. We begin the bee field work in March and our final checks are done in early December. The time between our last check and the first check of the next season is just enough time to get the bee equipment built and ready for the next cycle. Our passion is all about the bees, and not with the furniture. By the time that we realized the "Wood" was not going to happen, our "Wood'n'Hive" brand was already rolling off the tongues of our customers, so we ran with it.
The art on our label is simple and was modeled after a rustic wall hanging we had found in our travels around Nova Scotia. The color choice of yellow is soothing and peaceful and supports the natural colored beehive located in the center of our labels.
Wood'n'Hive Honey is now over 5 years old, and from time to time we still enjoy a few laughs about the names that fell onto the cutting room floor. Would the business be different if we had selected a different name ?
Alex