About Us

Our Journey To Date

These Little Hives began in the summer of 2018, when Nicole came home from work one July evening to find two bee hives sitting in her front garden. The unexpected gift came from her father-in-law, John, a casual beekeeper himself (as was his father before him). John believed beekeeping would be a great way for Nicole to step away from her busy office life and enjoy the outdoors. Nicole suspected his true motive was a little more practical - he was looking for help with his own hives! Regardless, she was happy to take on the challenge.

With her usual high standards and determination, Nicole threw herself into the craft. She joined the local beekeepers association and completed a preliminary beekeeping course, eager to learn how to properly care for her new honey bees. Nicole is now a member of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association.

Nicole's Love for Beekeeping

What started as a hobby quickly turned into an obsession. Nicole became fascinated by the complex world of bees and dove deep into learning everything she could. Her passion for detail and drive to do things thoroughly meant she was soon a skilled and confident beekeeper.

And as her ability grew, so did her hive count and the volume of honey!

More Than a Hobby

Before long, Nicole’s hobby blossomed into a small business which is now registered with the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Over the following four years, her original two hives multiplied into nearly 40, spread across several apiaries in County Down and County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

A Tough Situation

Tragically, in 2022, John passed away unexpectedly. He would have been incredibly proud of what Nicole has built from those first two hives.

He is deeply missed, but his legacy lives on — especially when Nicole works with the bees using John’s old smoker, passed down from his father.

The Future

Today, Nicole focuses on producing high-quality single origin honey — including natural honey, soft set honey, heather honey, and cut comb honey. She has also begun crafting beautiful 100% beeswax candles, putting the beeswax by-product to good use.

Looking ahead, and while juggling life with two young children, Nicole has exciting plans to grow the business further. She hopes to provide nucs for sale to those keen to start their own beekeeping journey, and to offer beekeeping experience days — sharing her passion for bees and the environment with others.