A BUILTH Wells honey producer will be making a beeline for the BBC Good Food Show later this month.

Shane Lewellyn-Jones, who runs the Bee Welsh Honey Company, will be appearing at the popular food and drinks event which is being held at the NEC in Birmingham from November 25-28.

With a fascination for bees stretching back to his childhood, Shane, 43, has more than 200 hives in apiaries throughout Mid Wales – producing over 7 tonnes of honey.

Over the years, he has honed his beekeeping skills, with Bee Welsh Honey collecting numerous awards, including top honours at the Royal Welsh Show and the Great Taste Awards.

Shane’s foray into commercial honey production arose from a surplus of honey which he began selling at farmers markets. The BBC Good Food Show will be his biggest event to date and his first outside of Wales.

“I’m really looking forward to attending the NEC, I’ve never traded outside of Wales with my product on this scale before, so there will be a lot of work beforehand and over the four days,” said Shane.

“I got involved with the BBC Good Food show through the Welsh Honey Cluster, of which I’m one of the founder members.

“The cluster is run by Cywain, funded by the Welsh Government. The main aim is to promote the value and increase production of Welsh honey.”

Despite the prestige of the BBC show, Shane can’t afford to hang around in the Midlands after the event though as he’ll have to buzz back home to Builth late Sunday night and head straight to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, which is taking place at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd on Monday and Tuesday, November 29 and 30.

Visitors to the BBC Good Food Show can buy a variety of Bee Welsh Honey products, including spring, summer and blossom honey, along with comb honey, chunk honey and borage honey with Welsh heather. Gift packs and hampers are also available.

Shane will be joined by fellow Welsh honey companies at the NEC, including Gwenynfa Pen y Bryn Apiary and Mel Gwenyn Gruffydd.

All three are Great Taste Award winners and are taking part under the auspices of the Food & Drink Wales Honey Cluster, which also appears at the BBC Good Food Show for the first time.

Part of the Food & Drink Wales Cluster initiative, which fosters connections between businesses in the sector, the Honey Cluster supports the development of growth-orientated businesses in the food and drink sector in Wales.

Welsh Honey Cluster lead Haf Wyn Hughes said: “Having three Welsh honey companies trading at this high-profile event is a very proud moment.

“It takes time to prepare and trade to this level and the companies involved have worked extremely hard over recent years. Always ready to talk about their authentic products and honey bees, they have an appetite and drive to succeed and are passionate about their products. So, I’m delighted they have taken up this exciting opportunity to exhibit with the Honey Cluster at a major consumer show.

“Also, from a consumer perspective, demand for Welsh wildflower and heather honey is high, so it is a brilliant time for visitors to the BBC Good Food Show to stock for the winter and buy that extra special gift for Christmas.”