Swan's Honey Albion, Maine Blueberries need bees for pollination. A lot of Maine blueberry growers keep bees or rent them to insure a good crop. Lincoln and Karen Sennett are no different. What is different about them is that beekeeping has become a major part of their farm operation. After keeping bees for pollination for ten years, they bought Swan’s Honey in 2002. Swan’s was a strong Maine business in operation for seventy years and the Sennet’s wanted to see the brand continue. Today they manage the Swan’s brand, provide honey for other labels and are expanding into the varietal honey market.
The Sennett’s live on a farm in Albion, Maine that has been in Lincoln’s family for over 100 years. They keep about eighty acres of blueberries in production each year, but most of their time is spent working their bee business. They harvest, package and market Swan’s honey, balms and candles, teach beekeeping, provide pollination for other farmers and continue to expand their honey-based products. Even with all of this, the Sennett’s true passion is public education. Karen stresses the importance of bees in agriculture and says, “sometimes, honey is a nice by-product of what we do.” But it’s their honey that the public loves. Karen and Lincoln work carefully with their bees so that they can produce top quality honey. The bees winter in Florida, pollinating orange trees and other crops. And, this provides customers with orange blossom honey and as well as other varieties not available from Maine crops. Summers in Maine mean blueberry honey and clover honey, and Swan’s Honey is expanding into vareital honeys that intrigue culinary enthusiasts. Because they provide pollination to sources in the Midwest, they are able to produce unique flavor and color varieties not found in the northeast.
The Sennett’s have attended the New England Products Trade show for as long as they’ve owned Swan’s and the previous owner attended, as well. Karen says it’s essential part of maintaining contact with established customers and meeting new wholesalers. And, she says that NEPTS is great at “showcasing the small business owner.”
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