LOCAL PRODUCE
the honey makers NATALIE AND BADEN CARTRIGHT OF PURE BUZZ ARE MAKING HONEY WHILE THE SUN SHINES Words Kate O’Meally, www.omword.com.au Image Alaric Cartwright
There’s a buzz happening in the suburban backyards of Wollongong, thanks to the rise of urban beekeepers. With easy access to home-based hives and greater awareness of the plight of bees and mass-produced honey – plus the delicious guarantee of homemade honey – hobbyists are taking to the beekeeping lifestyle with gusto. Cordeaux Heights honey producers and founders of Pure Buzz, Natalie and Baden Cartwright, are two urban beekeepers that have taken their hobby and turned it into a sustainable
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business. With a history of beekeeping in both their families, the love of making honey was in the blood and after moving back to Wollongong two years ago, with space aplenty, the pair decided to continue the tradition: “We started off with one Flow Hive and quickly realised how much we enjoyed it so expanded with a few more hives”. The leap from enthusiastic hobbyists to business owners happened by accident in early 2018 after a casual chat with some local cafe owners. “It all started when we were in some of our favourite cafes – Brown Sugar Espresso in Mangerton and The Rosy Lea in Primbee – and noticed they didn’t sell any honey. So, we asked them
