Buy Australia campaign: Capilano calls on Aussies to support their own
One of the biggest investors in Australia’s beekeeping industry says it’s never been more important for consumers to support local companies.
National
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ONE of the biggest investors in Australia’s beekeeping industry says it’s never been more important for consumers to support local companies.
Queensland’s Capilano – founded in Brisbane in 1953 and still based in the city’s southwest – sources its honey from 800 apiarists around the country, including 259 in the Sunshine State.
It proudly boasts 100 per cent of its honey is from Aussie beekeepers.
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There has been short supply of honey across Australia following years of drought and last summer’s bushfires, and was compounded by panic buying throughout the COVID-19 crisis as demand for household staples surged.
The 2019/20 financial year was the worst supply season on record, but recent rain in hive areas has made for a positive Spring honey production period. However, it could be years before stock levels return to normal.
Hive + Wellness Australia, which owns Capilano, is investing heavily to promote bee health, effective biosecurity and to support beekeeper education, and is also the largest contributor to the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council.
Chief operating officer Ben McKee said COVID had meant more people were at home and using essentials like honey, and that meant production had remained steady.
Two-thirds of Capilano products are packed at the Richlands headquarters near Brisbane, where the company employs 111 staff.
Mr McKee said sentiment toward homegrown products was strong and encouraged Queenslanders to support their own.
“Australian beekeepers make the best honey in the world. It’s disease free, it’s safe and healthy, and it’s a great Australian product,” he said.
“It’s really important we support those beekeepers, the majority of which are rural and regional sole traders.
“When you buy Capilano, you’re supporting 800 Australian beekeepers and their families.”
Capilano launched a new marketing campaign encouraging Aussies to use honey in different ways, such as baking and cooking rather than just as a spread, and promoting honey as a healthier substitute to sugar.
It is also innovating, with two new products - Capilano Choc Honey Spread and Capilano Low GI Honey – hitting supermarket shelves in recent weeks.
Originally published as Buy Australia campaign: Capilano calls on Aussies to support their own