Honey firm flying high after £368,000 boost

Hilltop Honey, based in Caersws, near Newtown, specialises in retailing flavoured honey straight from the hive and has purchased and refurbished new premises which it hopes to move into at the end of March.

As well as purchasing new premises, it is hoped the funding of £368,000 from NatWest will help double the firm's workforce.

Scott Davies, the business' founder and owner, said: "We were thrilled to secure contracts with some of the big supermarkets, but we needed to expand to fulfil our orders. Our new premises mean we can increase our production and hire new people, and we would not have been able to do that without NatWest's help."

The money has allowed Mr Davies, 29, to customise the business unit and purchase new equipment, including food hygiene equipment and an automatic jarring line.

The move will additionally enable Hilltop Honey to expand and hire new employees.

The business already hires staff through training schemes, and runs its own in-house training programme to develop skills and expertise.

Mr Davies said: "We are hoping to get to 20 employees in the next two years, which is an additional 10 ten employees. They are highly skilled jobs so it is very good for the Mid Wales area."

He has long kept bees as a hobby and first began making honey in his mother's kitchen. He After injuring his back, he read up about bees and got his first hive in spring 2011 before getting the bug for bee-keeping and setting up the business in September 2011 with a £5,000 overdraft.

He said: "I started the business because I was out of work through no fault of my own and needed a change of direction. I was looking at starting my own company and was torn between dog walking, selling stuff on eBay or the honey business.

"There is a bit of method in the madness. I looked at honey and thought it could do with a different approach than what there was at the time.

"Honey could be marketed a lot better than it was. I liked the idea of building a brand and seeing my products on the shelf. I started keeping the bees - they are awesome little creatures and we ended up packing honey as a business."

The business soon outgrew the kitchen table and has now been flying going for more than over five years.

In August 2015 the company secured a contract a contract to supply 650 Tesco stores.

He said: "We sell the honey mainly in the UK – nationwide with Tesco, Sainsbury's, Holland and Barrett, as well as with Ocado and whole foods and independent organic stores.

"Dribs and drabs are exported to USA, Hong Kong, Japan and the Gulf.

"We have room to grow and hope to create new products and move into the mass market. We hope to break into different markets such as USA, UAE and China in a bigger way."

The business has 50 bee hives, but this is no longer the focus of the business as it buys and packs honey from beekeepers across UK and Europe. The business recently exhibited its products at the Gulfood trade show in Dubai.

Flavours include Welsh wildflower honey, British creamed honey, lavender, thyme as well as organic honey from all parts of Europe and the world.

Mr Davies said: "In beekeeping, commercially it is very hard. You have to have a passion for it.

"You have to have a certain amount of money behind you to start but if you have all those things it is a great, great job. Getting outside and working with the bees, it is good fun."

Irene Gill, NatWest relationship manager, said: "What you have in Hilltop Honey is a business with a truly unique offering.

"It provides customers with high-quality homemade products at reasonable prices, and its remarkable growth has reflected that.

"At the same time, it actively engages its local employees in growth programmes and gives them a chance to hone their skills, which has a really positive impact on a lot of people.

"It's been a pleasure to witness and support Hilltop's growth over the years, and I'm very much looking forward to what the future will bring for Scott and his team."

In 2014 Mr Davies hit the headlines when then-Prime Minister David Cameron quizzed him at a Nato conference in South Wales, where he was giving out jars of honey to world leaders, on whether the honey would make him better in bed.