We are a family farm business based on Big Island.

The Apiarist

Apiarist – noun – /ˈāpē-ə-rist/

:a person who keeps bees, especially to produce honey.

Benjamin Foster is a third generation commercial beekeeper. At a young age, he worked with his grandfather and father in their apiaries. He served in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from Hilo Community College for Agricultural Studies.

His skills developed rapidly while working at Paradise Queens in Kea‘au on Big Island. These days, he is expanding his own apiaries, honey production, and beekeeping services for the local community. Ben hands over the wax from his bees to his talented wife Emily.

The Chandler

Chandler – noun – /ˈCHan(d)lər/

: a maker or seller of wax candles.

Emily Foster met Ben on Oahu while attending University of Hawai‘i Mānoa. Emily and Ben completed the Heroes to Hives Program with MSU. She has been honing her craft at rendering wax to its purest form to make beeswax candles with a natural and delicate honey scent. She started with premade candle molds and now works with artists to create custom designs that reflect Hawai‘i.

The BEES

Ben manages his 60 hives at three week intervals. He keeps queens bred for varroa mite resistance to reduce the need for harsh interventions.

Ben implements mechanical mite control by removing excess drone brood. When additional interventions are necessary to retain the health of his hives, he uses organic azelaic acid compound.

Ben’s bees are kept on no spray yards to minimize pesticide in forage. All beekeeping materials are made in the US. All buckets for honey and comb storage are food grade plastic and made in US.

Happy bees produce the most delicious honey.

THE HONEY

Our honey is strained through a 425 micron mesh sieve. It is never filtered or heated. Due to the honey being strained rather than filtered, some traces of bee parts and wax may be present in the honey.

In 2025, our light honey won 1st place with the Hawaiian Honey Challenge run by Big Island Beekeepers Association.