Giorgios: What is the secret of this sensitive, caring and charismatic beekeeper whose bees produce some of the best honey you will ever taste?

September 2021: I am going to tell you today about a very special day a week or so ago.

We get to see what makes the beekeepers tick - something very important for The Raw Honey Shop. It helps us decide whether we want to sell their honey or not.

Someone who made a big impression on us was a guy called Giorgios.

We had arranged to rendezvous with him in a little town called Omorfochori, 

It was a very hot day, when we arrived in the town. Soon we spotted a couple of guys by a black 4 x 4 and guessed correctly that one of them was Giorgios.

Almost immediately there is a connection between us.  You can tell when someone is speaking from the heart - and Giorgios certainly was.

As we drove to his hives he shared with us his philosophy and the secrets that enable his bees to win award after award for their honey.

I was engrossed and stunned at the detail in his approach.

After a few miles we head up a very steep road then off on a track and stop.

We get out and find we are looking out over the beautiful wild Halkidiki Peninsula. Some of his hives are here for the Autumn. It's a good place for the bees to feed and build their strength up for the winter.

Claire starts videoing Giorgios and myself as he outlines the core of his approach, one element of which you can see in the video below.

Firstly, he believes that he works for his bees. He does everything possible to make life as perfect for them as possible. In return they really do produce fantastic honey.

This is honey that keeps winning awards year after year.

You find with most beekeepers that they may win one year but then the next year, because of seasonal differences, their honey is not good enough to win an award.

Giorgios' total focus is on finding the right place for his bees where they can produce the finest honey possible. It is not just down to the physical characteristics, the soil, the position and the weather. There is something else, which I will come to in the next video I post of Giorgios.. Look out for that tomorrow or the next day, when I have processed it.