MEDIA RELEASE 28 May 2008
A couple of busy bees
It's hard work keeping up with a few million bees, but that's just what John and
Theodora Andonaros do to produce their 'Melissa Fresh Pure Honey'.
What started as a hobby on their five acre property in Googong has transformed
into a love affair with honey-making and a thriving small business.
"We were both born in Greece and John always wanted to live in the country, to
grow vegetables and have animals. When he got his first hive, nearly 10 years
ago, he was hooked. We now have nearly 60 hives," said Theodora.
In Australia, honey is mainly produced in the warmer months and there are
hundreds of different varieties depending on the flowers the bees take the
nectar from.
Varieties include the popular favourite, yellow box honey, which is light to
golden in colour with a smooth flavour and pleasant aroma. Honey from the
spotted gum is only available about every four years when the spotted gum trees
flower all at once. Its flowers produce the most nectar of all the eucalypts and
the honey produced has a mild flavour and a light to medium colour.
"We are constantly searching the countryside to see where the best flowers are
for our bees because the more flowers, the more honey they produce. At times
I've travelled up to 500 kilometres to find good flowers," said John.
"The drought has had a definite impact on the amount of honey produced. Because
of the dry conditions, there are fewer flowers produced by the trees and
therefore less nectar for the bees to collect," he added.
John and Theodora's 'Melissa Fresh Pure Honey' can be bought at their stall in
the Capital Region Farmers market.
"We love going to the Farmers Market every Saturday because we enjoy the
customer contact. We also sell fresh produce and eggs and are also well known
for our garlic," said Theodora.
Melissa Fresh Pure Honey sells for $5.00 for a 500 gram tub.
The Capital Region Farmers Market is a genuine farmers market with over 100
stalls offering a diverse range of fresh food and agricultural produce straight
from the producer to the customer. It is open every Saturday morning at the
Exhibition Park (EPIC) from 8 am to 11 am.
All funds generated from the Market are fed back into regional communities and
other projects chosen by the Rotary Club of Hall which founded the Market in
2004.
For more information on Capital Regional Farmers Market, visit
www.capitalregionfarmersmarket.com.au.
Released for Capital Region Farmers Market by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (www.drpr.com.au)
For further information please call Kim Larochelle or Joanna Gitsham on (02)
9413 4244.
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