This was a fun product, working with a local beekeeper who turned their hobby into a business! From idea to label, Hine collaborated with Derwent Honey to produce professional, eye-catching labels for their sweet produce and elevate their business to the next level. You won’t bee-lieve the results!
Derwent Honey began five years ago when two friends, Jon and Tony, from York started chatting bees and honey whilst working on a community project. From there, they attended a local beekeepers association training course and the rest is history!
Five years later, they are now established Yorkshire Bee Farmers, producing high quality Yorkshire honey from their very own Yorkshire bees and doing it very well!
Bee farming, also known as apiculture, can be good for bees in certain cases. Jon and Tony’s domesticated bees are managed in a way that provides many benefits to the bees, such as protection from disease and parasites and access to a stable source of food and water. Beekeepers can help to increase the number of pollinators in an area, which can benefit plant population and lead to healthier ecosystems.
When distributing their honey, Jon and Tony are focused on low food miles and quality produce, providing a sustainable product to the residents of Yorkshire. Go Derwent Honey!
Using a little Dymo Thermal Printer to print their own labels was taking too much time and energy, plus their labels were starting to show their age. Jon and Tony wanted an alternative to professionally establish their brand and ethos, so they made the decision that it would be more efficient to use professionally produced labels in colour and on a roll with a more consistent and quality appearance. Luckily, they had seen Hine Labels on Instagram and really liked the friendly feel!
The new logo had already been designed with the help of a local artist, and Jon and Tony had some idea about the imagery they wanted to use. But they needed some guidance when designing the label. Things like what materials, colours, and embellishments are available to truly communicate who they are as people passionate about environmental sustainability. They also needed a barcode on their labels, which Hine was easily able to help with!
After some consulting with the Hine Customer Service and Design Team, Hine Labels invited the guys from Derwent Honey over to their offices in Rotherham to get their heads together, discuss ideas and nail down a label design over a Proper Yorkshire Brew!
Together they pulled all the elements they had to create the label designs. After wishing Jon and Tony a safe journey back to York following a few cuppas and a quick tour of the factory, Jasmine, one of our Designers at Hine Labels, set to work getting the labels ready for print!
Watch the video for a sneaky peek behind-the-scenes — see how the labels were made!
I think we can all agree this was a fantastic job done by all, it just shows how a small idea can become something amazing with the right team and the right help. And let’s not forget the wonderful Derwent Honey Bees who worked hard to produce this wonderful, tasty honey!
Jon and Tony were really pleased with their labels, they said that their overall experience with Hine Labels was great and would recommend Hine to similar start-up businesses.
Derwent Honey were so proud of their new labels they couldn’t wait to post them on Facebook and Instagram!
In true Yorkshire fashion they stated, “Its taken a while but Derwent Honey’s new labels hit the shelves tomorrow and as we say up here, we’re dead chuffed!”
They said they felt like they were “heading into the 21st century now with their barcode and all!”
So what do we take from all this? How can startup businesses make their products stand out from the beginning? Get as far as you can with your designs, then ask for help! Label Converters and Manufacturers such as Hine have all the advice, tools, and expertise needed to guide you in your project. Don’t struggle alone!
Tony pointed out that, “smaller businesses spend a lot of time and energy solving the label issue invariably with average results. Many should go direct to label printers such as Hine Labels to start with a high quality product”
Jon added his advice to new startup businesses is to “price up professional printing as soon as you have a product to sell.”
Special thanks to Jon, Tony and the Bees at Derwent Honey for allowing us to follow their journey. Keep up the amazing work you do!