Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co has launched a new mead made with Zambian honey, in collaboration with the charity Bees for Development.
Kate Humble, patron of Bees for Development, with Kit Newell (left) and Matt Newell (right), co-founders of Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co, at the launch of Zambian Forest Honey Traditional Mead
It is brewed to the same recipe as Hive Mind’s Traditional Mead, which recently won the Great Taste Golden Fork award for Wales. But it uses organic Zambian Forest honey, giving the drink a distinct amber colour and a unique flavour profile, with complex herbal and spiced notes.
The illustration for the bottle label reflects the Zambian forest beekeeping style and has been designed by a Zambian-Irish illustrator, Aislinn Finnegan.
As well as supporting beekeepers in Zambia by purchasing the honey, 10% of profits from sales of the new mead will be donated to Bees for Development by Hive Mind.
Bees for Development, based in Monmouth, works globally to promote sustainable beekeeping to combat poverty, build resilient livelihoods, and benefit biodiversity. The charity uses honey bees to enable people to make a living through working with nature, and harvesting honey and beeswax, while helping to preserve biodiversity.
“We are pleased to be supporting Bees for Development in this very practical way, demonstrating the success of their model of creating viable small businesses and new access to markets through beekeeping and honey production,” said Kit Newell, co-founder of Hive Mind.
“We are working with them to secure a long-term supply partnership, and plan for this to become part of our core traditional mead range, beyond this initial bottling.
“People often ask us when and how to drink mead, and this new mead creates some new opportunities for matching with food and mixers.
“With its darker colour and flavour profile, the Zambian mead is a great alternative to port as a sweet/smokey accompaniment with dessert or cheese. We’re also excited by the options a more complex, spicy flavour profile presents as an alternative to dark and spiced rums in mixed drinks and cocktails.”
Jenny Handley, head of communications and fundraising at Bees for Development, added: “Beekeeping is low cost, sustainable, and has the greatest effect on those who have the very least. Our charity shares beekeeping skills with people in the poorest communities of the world, giving a reliable income for life.
“We’re delighted to be celebrating our 30th anniversary with the launch of this great new product, which demonstrates so well the success of this approach in building these sustainable businesses.”
