This B.C. beekeeper sold a $15 jar of honey for over $800 at a special auction

A jar of creamed honey from B.C., which usually costs a little under $15, sold for a whopping $650 US ($877 Cdn) at an international honey event earlier this month.

Amanda Goodman Lee, a beekeeper based out of Creston in the Kootenay region of southeastern B.C., said she was shocked to see honey she produced fetch such astounding prices.

“Now when people complain to me saying my honey prices are high, I’m going to say they’re not high enough,” Lee said during an interview with Chris Walker, host of CBC’s Daybreak South.

She and her husband, Jeff Lee are the proud owners of Honey Bee Zen Apiaries, which has lately been garnering a lot of buzz.

The duo clinched multiple top prizes at the American Beekeeping Federation’s (ABF) 2024 American Honey Show in New Orleans, including first place in the Creamed Honey category.

The Lees earned first place for their creamed and fireweed honey varieties at the American Honey Show in New Orleans, La. (Submitted by Jeff Lee)

“It’s a tough category. The judges look for smoothness, creaminess and make sure there’s no dust or any little particles or debris in the honey,” said the beekeeper.

The product also bagged the top award for Best In Show — the first time a Canadian honey topped the category in the show’s history. Eight jars of the creamed honey were later auctioned off to benefit an ABF program.

Rick Sutton, auctioneer and one of the jury members at the event, said the couple’s exhibits were the star of the show.

“Their creamed honey was the best I’ve ever judged and tasted. It received a perfect score of 100,” Sutton wrote in an email to CBC News.

Amanda Goodman Lee at her Creston-based apiary. She and her husband Jeff Lee own Honey Bee Zen Apiaries. (Submitted by Jeff Lee)

Goodman Lee attributes the award-winning flavour of their honey to local influence, emphasizing the range of wildflowers in the Kootenay region.

“It’s so good because it comes from the Kootenays, it’s from our region,” she said.

Bees at the apiary collect nectar from alfalfa, snowberry, clover, sweet clover and vetch, among other flowers, and store them in honeycombs. To make creamed honey, Lee extracts raw honey from the beehive and stirs it in a creamer to create a smooth texture, like a spread.

The husband-and-wife duo moved their beekeeping operations from New Westminster in the Lower Mainland to Creston, B.C., in 2017. (Submitted by Jeff Lee)

The Lees also secured first place in the Extra Water White class for their fireweed honey, known among beekeepers as the “champagne of honey,” popular for its white colour and mild flavour.

The eight jars of the honey were also auctioned off at the event, each selling for USD $250 ($337 Cdn).

Lee said the honey is extracted from the nectar of flowers that grow after clearcutting or wildfires. To produce the honey, the husband-and-wife duo set up hives high in the Purcell and the Selkirk Mountains of Creston Valley where little grows except fireweed.

“We also put up fences around and drive up there every few days to check on the bees,” said Lee.

The fences, which are electrified yards, serve as a fortress in the area teeming with bears.

“The process is just more laborious, but it’s super rewarding when you finally extract the goods.”

More wins in the bag

The Lees continued their winning streak at the North American Honey Show in Louisville, Ky., this month.

They secured first place in the Creamed Infusion class for a cranberry-orange honey blend, and top of class for their Creamed Honey.

“We are extremely humbled that our Canadian honeys are considered the best in North America,” the Lees said in a joint statement.

Jeff Lee and his wife Amanda Goodman Lee own Honey Bee Zen Apiaries in Creston, B.C. (Honey Bee Zen Apiaries/Facebook)

The couple has always been passionate about beekeeping, turning their hobby into a business back in 2012. In 2017, they moved their operations from New Westminster in the Lower Mainland to Creston.

Before being full-time beekeepers, Lee worked in advertising at Postmedia while her husband, Jeff, worked as a reporter for the Vancouver Sun.

“I went from the corporate world into beekeeping and farming,” she said. “There is a real love for the bee and every day is different and exciting.”