WATCH: Experience a natural buzz on your doorstep

Brett Falconer, director of Highveld Honey Farms, alongside his son, Gregory, and a team of dedicated staff, ensure that their bees remain active year-round by moving hives in sync with the seasons.

March 27, 2025

Ntombikayise Letlepo 3 minutes read

Brett Falconer, director of Highveld Honey Farms, alongside his son Gregory, welcomes the public to the farm shop, which sells affordable varieties of honey, including Aloe, Orange Blossom, Macadamia, Bluegum, and Sunflower. Beyond honey, the shop offers an array of beekeeping essentials, including protective clothing, beeswax, wax sheets, and beekeeping kits.

Looking for something sweet and natural? Buzz over to the Highveld Honey Farm Shop at Plot 185, Uys St, Rynfield Agricultural Holdings, where 100% pure honey, produced directly on the farm, awaits!

Highveld Honey Farms operates a well-stocked farm shop, providing customers with five distinct varieties of honey: Aloe, Orange Blossom, Macadamia, Bluegum, and Sunflower.

Beyond honey, the shop offers an array of beekeeping essentials, including protective clothing, beeswax, wax sheets and beekeeping kits.

Shoppers can also find comb honey, beeswax cream, and lip balms, all made from the farm’s natural resources.

Opening hours are Mondays to Fridays from 07:30 to 17:00 and Saturdays and public holidays from 07:30 to 13:00.

Established in the 1960s, Highveld Honey Farms has steadily expanded into a major supplier of honey across South Africa and beyond.

The company distributes its honey to major retailers in Gauteng, Cape Town, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Upington and international markets. With a dedicated team, the business is divided into two key operations – farming and packaging.

The farm manages about 5 000 beehives, utilising a migratory beekeeping approach, where hives are transported between various flowering plants throughout the year to maximise honey production.

Brett Falconer, director of Highveld Honey Farms, alongside his son, Gregory, and a team of dedicated staff, ensure that their bees remain active year-round by moving hives in sync with the seasons.

Brett Falconer, director of Highveld Honey Farms, and his son, Gregory, next to a shelf filled with five distinct varieties of honey sold at the farm shop at an affordable price. The varieties are aloe, orange blossom, macadamia, bluegum and sunflower.

He explained that the honey season starts in June when bees feast on indigenous aloes. In spring, the hives move to the Lowveld, where bees enjoy orange blossoms and macadamia flowers. By October and November, the hives shift to eucalyptus (bluegum) trees, followed by sunflower fields from January to April. Around Easter, the bees return to the Lowveld plantations.

Brett added that each flowering season influences the honey’s flavour, aroma and colour with lighter and milder honey varieties, ideal for tea, porridge, toast and cereals, being particularly popular among consumers.

Brett’s love for beekeeping began at the age of 14 when he had developed a fascination for bees. Encouraged by a friend, he sought guidance from a local beekeeper and soon became hooked.

“When I told my father, a wellknown lawyer in Benoni, that I wanted to become a beekeeper, he insisted I first get a qualification. So, I studied engineering but when I was 28 years old, I pursued my passion for beekeeping full-time.”

Brett purchased Highveld Honey Farms in the 1990s when he was 30 years old and built it into South Africa’s largest honey producer.

During the early years, he recalls selling honey at flea markets and at the Bapsfontein four-way stop on Sundays before expanding his products into local butcheries and retailers. His success came when he started distributing packaged honey in various containers under different brand names – a business model that has thrived for over 20 years.

Wearing their protective clothing inside the honey house are Brett Falconer, director of Highveld Honey Farms, and his son Gregory.

Highveld Honey Farms distributes a broad range of honey products, including imported honey, to wholesalers, retailers, food manufacturers, catering businesses and restaurants.

Committed to food safety, the company is FSSC 22000 certified, ensuring strict hygiene and traceability standards. A dedicated on-site quality manager oversees the production process.

Brett highlighted that beekeeping is no easy job. “Beekeeping is a night job. Our staff travel to farms where the bees are and often stay overnight.”

Gregory said beyond honey production, they also offer pollination services as Highveld Honey Farms rents bees to farmers to support crop growth.

Showing off some of beeswax cream available at the Highveld Honey Farm Shop is Gregory Falconer.

“The company also invests in social and economic development, offering training and mentorship. We have also opened our doors to the Eastern Highveld Beekeepers Association, where hobbyist beekeepers gather for monthly meetings.

As Brett begins handing over the reins to Gregory, he remains optimistic about the honey industry’s future.

“People today are more health conscious and looking for natural alternatives to sugar. With the rising awareness of honey’s health benefits, we’re confident in continued growth,” he concluded.