FARMERS MARKET : Frank’s honey hobby is now a big business (From Worcester News)

FARMERS MARKET : Frank’s honey hobby is now a big business

11:08am Monday 4th December 2006 in Country News latest

MOST of us dream about turning our hobbies into a thriving business - but not many could expect that hobby to end up with them becoming one of the region's leading suppliers of honey.

Frank Dooley retired three years ago after many years in the police force. With his wife Shirley, he had kept a few hives for a number of years at their Kingswinford home.

They decided to start Beez Neez Honey, selling honey and related products to friends and relatives.

Now, they have more than 100 hives up and down the country, allowing them to offer their farmers' market customers a wide range of flavours.

From May to August, Frank keeps numerous hives on the North Yorkshire Moors, which allows his bees to produce heather-flavoured honey. The hives are then brought back to Worcestershire to have the honey extracted and stored, ready for sale. The couple have other hives in the south of England and other parts of the Midlands.

Their most popular honey is produced by bees kept in Worcestershire, feeding from oil seed rape.

Beez Neez can be found at all of the local farmers' markets in the area.

Farmers Market Dates ;

December 2 Victoria Square, Droitwich, 9am to 2pm.

December 3 Royal Worcester Porcelain, Severn Street, Worcester, 11am to 3pm.

December 9 Bromsgrove High Street, 9am to 5pm.

December 16 Abbey Road, Malvern, 9am to 2pm.

December 17 Bromsgrove Christmas Fair, High Street, 9am to 5pm.

December 17 Broad Street, Pershore, 10am to 3pm.