YYC Feature: UNCLE LEE’S BEES

Albertans are buzzing about Cam Wright and Colin Wauthier’s 100% pure honey

 To bee or not to bee, that is the question cousins Cam Wright and Colin Wauthier asked themselves when given the opportunity to work a section of their uncle’s farm in Wheatland County. Together, they decided to launch Uncle Lee’s Bees and create mouth-watering honey that is 100% locally farmed. But honey is far from the only product the pair produce: Uncle Lee’s also offers Alberta Maple Syrup, candles, soaps, lip balms, and more. As proud Albertans, they’re dedicated to sourcing from other small businesses in the province when creating their beeswax products. It is one of the many ways that Cam and Colin have proved they are committed to community – they also donate jars of honey to the Veteran’s Foodbank and even offer free bicycle delivery to customers in Calgary when weather permits. Read more about their Un-BEE-lievable journey below!

Your honey 100% farmed and produced around Calgary! What inspired you to create a business producing honey and beeswax products, and why was it important to you that everything is farmed/created locally?

We were inspired by the idea when a drywall framing contractor we often work with was telling us about the bees he just bought.  My cousin Colin and I were astounded by what he was telling us and we thought perhaps we should investigate further.  Once we realized how much outdoors time we would have and how much learning and constructing we would be able to do, we got rolling.  Being local to us is about supporting the people around us. Keeping money in the community keeps businesses running which keeps us a community.  

What is the most challenging part of working with bees? I imagine it’s a sticky job! How common are bee stings?
The challenging part for us is the weather.  We’ve dealt with extreme smoke from BC wildfires, early springs and rain so far.   All of these things affect our livestock and their health and production.  We have to keep close eye on weather patterns and have to make swift calls when we have to feed them.  Yes, sticky is a challenge!   Keeping a clean workspace makes things easier.  As we’ve continued to learn from what didn’t work, we have been able to adapt our processes and developed better handling methods. To date, we have had very few stings.  Colin took a couple to the neck last year and our friend Mac got one in the eyelid two years ago.  I have had the bees get in my suit while working but somehow have been able to avoid a sting. 

“We produce a 100% pure maple syrup from the only maples that grow in Alberta… we are producing a small craft batch with a fruitier, nuttier maple syrup that has a very unique flavour.”

You also produce maple syrup! What’s the main difference between the maple syrup that you produce and factory syrups like Aunt Jemima?

Without casting shade on any other manufacturers, Aunt Jemima makes a corn syrup knock off.  We produce a 100% pure maple syrup from the only maples that grow in Alberta.  Our tapping season is shorter than eastern Canada and because we’re tapping Manitoba Maples (or Box Elders), we are producing a small craft batch with a fruitier, nuttier maple syrup that has a very unique flavour. 

It’s great that you guys donated jars of your honey to the Veteran’s Foodbank. Why were you passionate about supporting this organization in particular?

After a visit to the Veterans foodbank last fall, I noted a shortfall in supplies.  After speaking with staff there and understanding their vetting process for those in need, we decided to donate there when possible. 

What values/principles were underlying your decision to use only recyclable glass jars and bottles? The design on your jars is beautiful, who came up with it?

Thank you.  The design came from literally pulling out sketch pads and for days drawing dozens of designs.  We finally agreed and moved forward. Glass is inert.  It does not leach any of its properties into the product.  Glass is also important for buyer confidence in a product. What’s inside is visible and for us, our honey can shine brightly outward. One of our ideas was to buy glass, though more expensive, so that our packaging can be easily recycled or repurposed by the end user. 

You also have other cool products like lip balm, soap, etc. What product of yours do you personally love/use the most?

The soap.  By far the soap is our second best seller. Well, third if we include Maple Syrup.  It’s not your typical weird Aunt’s melt and pour soap kit.  It's true cold process soap with a gentle lather and a great scent.  We have been working with a local band, Shuffalo, that is selling our soap as merch.  They asked us to make a soap that smelled like ‘camping’ so we produced a Mountain Cedar blend that we have not released under our product line yet.  The lip balm is popular too.  The lack of chemicals and great flavours have made it a hit as well.  This is the only place we use plastic.  When someone smarter than us can make a paperboard product that really works well for containment, we plan to switch.  

What is your hope for Uncle Lees Bees over the next five years?

The Maple Syrup idea is huge.  We have been getting calls non stop and have recently entered into the Made In Alberta Awards by Avenue Magazine.  Its a huge undertaking to produce so we want to expand that with larger evaporation equipment.  On the beekeeping side, Colin and I practice controlled growth.  We could easily go buy 30 hives but we still have day jobs and families so every year we expand a small amount. Five years from now, we would like to be running 20 hives and tapping likely 200 trees and reassess. 

What is your piece of advice?

Simple.  Plan your work, work your plan.  

Find them at:

Instagram: @uncle_lees_bees
Facebook: facebook.com/uncleleesbees