Over the past few years, there's been a surge of interest in urban beekeeping, mostly on a small scale by amateur beekeepers. Fortnum & Mason is now taking the practice to a new level—the famous London retailer has placed four hives on the roof of its 181 Piccadilly building. From where, as Fortnum's describes, the bees are able to "fly high above Mayfair, visiting the grounds, gardens and squares of the best addresses in London, gathering rather superior nectar." (The colony was previously housed by Fortnum's in Shropshire and Oxfordshire.)
Pollen from chestnut and lime trees, as well as a wide variety of other flowering plants, is expected to make for a delicate urban honey, which will be on sale from May 2009. A 227g jar of Piccadilly Honey will be priced at GBP 10. Completing the picture, Fortnum & Mason offers an upclose view of the palatial beehives via two webcams.
It's a wonderful example of a retailer and food brand taking an uber-local approach to food production, and creating a still-made-here story that consumers won't be able to resist ;-) (Related: Honey without the mess — Sweet snobmoddity.)
Website: www.fortnumandmason.com/Fortnums-Bees/Home.aspx
Spotted by: @ktmonkey
This isn't new. Beehives have been on top of the Opera in Paris for 25 years
Hi Dishbag -- We didn't claim that urban beekeeping was new ;-) Paris does indeed have a thriving community of beekeepers.
But a major retailer creating honey on the roof of their building and then selling it downstairs in the store -- I think you'll agree that's fairly new.
A variation on the urban rooftop beekeeping:
It's not a major retailer but a major hotel in Toronto: the Fairmont Royal York. The honey will be used in the hotel's restaurant kitchen.
Very cool about the Fairmont, Dana -- thanks for pointing that out!
Nice idea and no doubt it'll be a big hit with the tourist circus, but would any self-respecting honey fan really want to eat produce from bees that have been flying around in the smog of London?!