“I let the bees do their own thing. A harmonious bee population colony is a happy garden, and we treat our bees like they are part of the family.”
“Some customers say it tastes like honey used to taste in the 1960’s ,which is a lovely complement. While the flavour profile does change depending on the season, it’s a taste that’s distinctly local.”
Beekeeping is a family affair. Wife Emma, who works at Enchanted Maze, coordinates all the Mt Martha Honey marketing and sales. She shares bee and honey-extraction images and bee-facts on Instagram. Their children nine-year-old Will, and four-year-old Charlotte, shadow Matt’s harvesting and hive care.
Honey is sold from the front gate, right near buzzing worker bees, doing their thing. It’s an industry built on honest toil, care for the environment and a love of bees.
“Will is the smoke man when I have my hands full of frames. He has his own hive and I’ve funded his start-up costs.” And the honey? “It tastes like how Mt Martha smells in springtime. That floral taste with the coastal smell of salt, and a hint of tea-tree … it’s Mt Martha in a jar.”
Honey is sold from the front gate, right near buzzing worker bees
E ssence
10 | PENINSULA
December 2020
“I can see myself as an old man, pottering in the garden with my bees around me.” Follow Mt Martha Honey on instagram.com/mtmarthahoney