While it was a challenging summer for Irish farmers, there is at least one cohort of agricultural workers who have not been making hay – but honey – while the sun shines. “It’s higher than I’ve seen it in a long time; ever probably,” says beekeeper Mark Riordan of the yield so far.
“It’s like they’re able to go to work every day; all 60,000 to 80,000 of them.” That’s 60,000-80,000 per hive, by the way. And it’s just one of many facts and figures that fascinate Mark when it comes to the world of beekeeping.
“There’s 12,000 flower trips needed to get one spoon of honey,” cites the co-founder of Hive Mind, which is based in Myrtleville, Co Cork, and operates using a unique model whereby corporates, restaurants and private customers sponsor a hive for the year in return for their own honey; and do their bit for the environment in the process.
Raised on an organic mixed farm run by his mother, Marian, until she passed away in 2004, Mark explains how he completed a degree in computers before making a complete change of direction when he decided to study horticulture at Kildalton College in Piltown.
Mark Riordan of Hive Mind. \ Diane Cusack Photography
“Whatever possessed me,” he jokes, “it must have been strong!”
Work experience at Ballymaloe proved invaluable, as did a stint at Fota House, before Mark set up his own business renting allotments in the walled garden on the home farm, given the “grow-your-own” resurgence during the recession.
However, he admits that he “didn’t have any interest” in beekeeping until a friend invited him on a course; and he got his first taste of local honey.
“I didn’t recognise it,” he recalls. “It was something completely new to me and I loved it.”
At the time, another neighbour was also interested in beekeeping and they swapped numbers. Still, Mark says he had little intention of pursuing it seriously; until fate intervened.
“I was at work and a swarm had come in here,” he says. “You can’t argue with that!”
The beginnings
With the help of his neighbour, Mark managed to contain the new arrivals in a cardboard box, before investing in the equipment he needed to get started. Soon, he was attending lectures run by the Cork Beekeepers Association at CIT and, later, got a job with a bee breeder in Carrigaline, before making the decision to return to college to do a masters in horticulture at UCC.
During his studies, Mark had started thinking about the concept of community supported agriculture (CSA), a model connecting the producer and customer directly. For instance, where the customer pays a “subscription” fee every week for the season, in return for a box of veg or fruit from the farmer.
“I thought it would be a novel thing to do with bees,” says Mark, who worked on the model for Hive Mind with his business partner, Simon Bursell.
With the tag line of “We keep the hives, you keep the honey”, individuals, corporates or restaurants pay €300 a year to sponsor a hive (or €100 for a one-third share) and receive their share of honey in return. This amounts to about 30 jars or 15kg of honey per hive. They also have the chance to visit their hive and receive regular updates from the farm, allowing them to feel part of the whole journey, from flower to spoon.
Aishling Moore, head chef at Elbow Lane, with Mark Riordan of Hive Mind. \ Diane Cusack Photography
And it has obviously struck a chord, with customers ranging from Elbow Lane restaurant in Cork (see panel) to companies like Air BnB and Accenture, as well as private clients.
Of course, if you are wondering why people want to sponsor a hive, rather than just pick up a jar of honey in their local shop, there are several factors, explains Mark, ranging from corporate social responsibility to supporting these all-important pollinators.
“But the product is the most important thing,” he underlines of the business’ appeal, explaining how Hive Mind honey is local, raw, unprocessed and unfiltered and changes flavour through the season as the bees feast on the local flora, from willow, dandelion and apple blossom to whitethorn and ivy, as well as the wildflower meadows he has planted especially to fill the “June gap”.
Indeed, with over 40 hives now sponsored between three apiaries, Hive Mind has had to open an “expression of interest” style waiting list for those who wish to get involved for the next season.
However, they are also looking at working with other beekeepers in order to grow, and hope that such a model would support not just the bees but their keepers, who they also class as something of an endangered species.
“We have a species that is pollinating 12,000 times for one spoonful and they’re in decline. The only people who can aid it and support it are beekeepers,” says Mark. “If we leave it and if the industry doesn’t have support, what happens then?”
For further information, visit
https://hivemind.ie
Mark Riordan of Hive Mind with Aishling Moore, head chef at Elbow Lane. \ Diane Cusack Photography
Hive mind and Elbow Lane: a sweet partnership
Local honey from Hive Mind versus a jar off the supermarket shelf? “There’s no comparison,” reckons Aishling Moore, head chef at Elbow Lane smokehouse and nano brewery in Cork, part of the Market Lane restaurant group that has sponsored three hives this year.
For a start, “the flavour profiles are way more complex”, says Aishling,
especially when compared to more commercial honey that just “tastes like sugar”.
“Mark is so in touch with the bees that he know what plants they’ve collected pollen from,” she says of the “depth and complexity” of the first deliveries this season, which she plans to showcase on the menu.
“One of the honeys is slightly, very subtly fennelly flavour, and then the
other is blackberry leaf – and that is just amazing,” she explains. “It’s a luxury for us to be able to use it; and we’re trying to use it in the best possible way.”
As well as the quality of the honey, Aishling explains how supporting Hive Mind also ties in with Elbow Lane’s food philosophy towards sustainability and self-sufficiency.
“What’s great about Hive Mind as well is it’s not just about us buying honey and Mark making some type of money off it. Their mission statement is the conservation of bees,” she says.
“So it’s great for us to be even minutely involved in that.”
Here, Aishling shares a cocktail recipe she has created especially for Irish Country Living, to showcase the honey. For further information, visit www.elbowlane.ie
Milk and Hive Mind honey white Russian cocktail
This is our bartender Joe’s recipe.
We wanted to make a really simple cocktail that showcased all the amazing flavour profiles of the blackberry flower
honey.
A white Russian is the perfect vessel for this, as the alcohols used don’t take away or overpower the complex flavour of this honey.
This recipe makes one White Russian, but can easily be multiplied depending on the size of your cocktail shaker.
40 ml Dingle vodka
25ml Kahlua
40ml milk
20ml cream
1.5 tsp Hive Mind honey
1 Fill the glass you intend on serving the cocktail in with ice to chill it down.2 Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with three ice cubes and shake.3 Empty the ice from the now-chilled serving glass and strain the cocktail into the glass using a small sieve.4 Fill the glass up with ice and garnish with a fresh blackberry. Read more
From three hives to three million bees
Beekeeping: the problems posed by varroa mites
While it was a challenging summer for Irish farmers, there is at least one cohort of agricultural workers who have not been making hay – but honey – while the sun shines. “It’s higher than I’ve seen it in a long time; ever probably,” says beekeeper Mark Riordan of the yield so far.
“It’s like they’re able to go to work every day; all 60,000 to 80,000 of them.” That’s 60,000-80,000 per hive, by the way. And it’s just one of many facts and figures that fascinate Mark when it comes to the world of beekeeping.
“There’s 12,000 flower trips needed to get one spoon of honey,” cites the co-founder of Hive Mind, which is based in Myrtleville, Co Cork, and operates using a unique model whereby corporates, restaurants and private customers sponsor a hive for the year in return for their own honey; and do their bit for the environment in the process.
Raised on an organic mixed farm run by his mother, Marian, until she passed away in 2004, Mark explains how he completed a degree in computers before making a complete change of direction when he decided to study horticulture at Kildalton College in Piltown.
Mark Riordan of Hive Mind. \ Diane Cusack Photography
“Whatever possessed me,” he jokes, “it must have been strong!”
Work experience at Ballymaloe proved invaluable, as did a stint at Fota House, before Mark set up his own business renting allotments in the walled garden on the home farm, given the “grow-your-own” resurgence during the recession.
However, he admits that he “didn’t have any interest” in beekeeping until a friend invited him on a course; and he got his first taste of local honey.
“I didn’t recognise it,” he recalls. “It was something completely new to me and I loved it.”
At the time, another neighbour was also interested in beekeeping and they swapped numbers. Still, Mark says he had little intention of pursuing it seriously; until fate intervened.
“I was at work and a swarm had come in here,” he says. “You can’t argue with that!”
The beginnings
With the help of his neighbour, Mark managed to contain the new arrivals in a cardboard box, before investing in the equipment he needed to get started. Soon, he was attending lectures run by the Cork Beekeepers Association at CIT and, later, got a job with a bee breeder in Carrigaline, before making the decision to return to college to do a masters in horticulture at UCC.
During his studies, Mark had started thinking about the concept of community supported agriculture (CSA), a model connecting the producer and customer directly. For instance, where the customer pays a “subscription” fee every week for the season, in return for a box of veg or fruit from the farmer.
“I thought it would be a novel thing to do with bees,” says Mark, who worked on the model for Hive Mind with his business partner, Simon Bursell.
With the tag line of “We keep the hives, you keep the honey”, individuals, corporates or restaurants pay €300 a year to sponsor a hive (or €100 for a one-third share) and receive their share of honey in return. This amounts to about 30 jars or 15kg of honey per hive. They also have the chance to visit their hive and receive regular updates from the farm, allowing them to feel part of the whole journey, from flower to spoon.
Aishling Moore, head chef at Elbow Lane, with Mark Riordan of Hive Mind. \ Diane Cusack Photography
And it has obviously struck a chord, with customers ranging from Elbow Lane restaurant in Cork (see panel) to companies like Air BnB and Accenture, as well as private clients.
Of course, if you are wondering why people want to sponsor a hive, rather than just pick up a jar of honey in their local shop, there are several factors, explains Mark, ranging from corporate social responsibility to supporting these all-important pollinators.
“But the product is the most important thing,” he underlines of the business’ appeal, explaining how Hive Mind honey is local, raw, unprocessed and unfiltered and changes flavour through the season as the bees feast on the local flora, from willow, dandelion and apple blossom to whitethorn and ivy, as well as the wildflower meadows he has planted especially to fill the “June gap”.
Indeed, with over 40 hives now sponsored between three apiaries, Hive Mind has had to open an “expression of interest” style waiting list for those who wish to get involved for the next season.
However, they are also looking at working with other beekeepers in order to grow, and hope that such a model would support not just the bees but their keepers, who they also class as something of an endangered species.
“We have a species that is pollinating 12,000 times for one spoonful and they’re in decline. The only people who can aid it and support it are beekeepers,” says Mark. “If we leave it and if the industry doesn’t have support, what happens then?”
For further information, visit
https://hivemind.ie
Mark Riordan of Hive Mind with Aishling Moore, head chef at Elbow Lane. \ Diane Cusack Photography
Hive mind and Elbow Lane: a sweet partnership
Local honey from Hive Mind versus a jar off the supermarket shelf? “There’s no comparison,” reckons Aishling Moore, head chef at Elbow Lane smokehouse and nano brewery in Cork, part of the Market Lane restaurant group that has sponsored three hives this year.
For a start, “the flavour profiles are way more complex”, says Aishling,
especially when compared to more commercial honey that just “tastes like sugar”.
“Mark is so in touch with the bees that he know what plants they’ve collected pollen from,” she says of the “depth and complexity” of the first deliveries this season, which she plans to showcase on the menu.
“One of the honeys is slightly, very subtly fennelly flavour, and then the
other is blackberry leaf – and that is just amazing,” she explains. “It’s a luxury for us to be able to use it; and we’re trying to use it in the best possible way.”
As well as the quality of the honey, Aishling explains how supporting Hive Mind also ties in with Elbow Lane’s food philosophy towards sustainability and self-sufficiency.
“What’s great about Hive Mind as well is it’s not just about us buying honey and Mark making some type of money off it. Their mission statement is the conservation of bees,” she says.
“So it’s great for us to be even minutely involved in that.”
Here, Aishling shares a cocktail recipe she has created especially for Irish Country Living, to showcase the honey. For further information, visit www.elbowlane.ie
Milk and Hive Mind honey white Russian cocktail
This is our bartender Joe’s recipe.
We wanted to make a really simple cocktail that showcased all the amazing flavour profiles of the blackberry flower
honey.
A white Russian is the perfect vessel for this, as the alcohols used don’t take away or overpower the complex flavour of this honey.
This recipe makes one White Russian, but can easily be multiplied depending on the size of your cocktail shaker.
40 ml Dingle vodka
25ml Kahlua
40ml milk
20ml cream
1.5 tsp Hive Mind honey
1 Fill the glass you intend on serving the cocktail in with ice to chill it down.2 Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with three ice cubes and shake.3 Empty the ice from the now-chilled serving glass and strain the cocktail into the glass using a small sieve.4 Fill the glass up with ice and garnish with a fresh blackberry. Read more
From three hives to three million bees
Beekeeping: the problems posed by varroa mites
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