At Beefayre, we produce natural scented candles, room diffusers, body and bath products and cards, all inspired by nature and the plight of the honeybee. By buying Beefayre you are directly helping the bees as we donate 3% of our profits to bee conservation every year. Made in the UK, we are passionate about creating beautiful products that don’t cost the earth – literally.
The business idea was born when our founder, Sharon Jervis, was visiting Transylvania with her son and became inspired by the purity of the pristine bee-keeping environment. Whilst staying with local beekeepers, they started learning about this ancient tradition in the most beautiful setting possible. In the clean, mountain air, the bees thrived on the plethora of wildflowers that grew on the hillsides and most importantly, no pesticides were used at all.
“I’ve never seen such a diversity of wildflower species or butterflies as we did in the Carpathian foothills. The beekeepers there are continuing an ancient tradition and the land is free from pesticides and intensive farming practices. The quality of honey, pollen and propolis was just amazing.”
She decided then and there to channel her own passion for wildlife and artistic flare, into creating a bee related business that could, in turn, help the bees themselves.
Sharon already had a wealth of skills and knowledge in the art and retail sector, having spent many years previously painting as a miniaturist in watercolour. She has also always found inspiration from her close relationship with the natural world. The reason she was in Romania, was to research the plight of the bees for her MA in Contemporary Fine Art, so this crossover into business seemed like the next logical step.
Eighteen months later, Beefayre was born with a range of scented plant wax candles that have since been joined by many more bee-based products. All are made in England from natural ingredients, and sold in packaging featuring charming drawings by Sharon herself, inspired by the honeybee and its natural habitat. Without Sharon’s consideration towards nature and passion for bees, there would be no Beefayre, and she hand draws all of the intricate designs found on our packaging and is keen to continue educating people on the importance of all pollinators.
“I want to tell people how important pollinators are and create funds for conservation through my artwork. There is a huge gap in funding and it’s only recently that government have started to wake up to the major problems and economic fallout that will result if we do not look after these fascinating creatures.”
Luckily, Sharon no longer has to travel as far as Transylvania for a pristine rural idyll; we have several acres here at HQ, including wildflower meadows where we tend our own bee hives. We’ve now been going for nearly ten years and we have a little bee hive in Romania to thank!
