The Beerepoot Family

THE BEEREPOOT FAMILY

A Dutch family with a sense of adventure and a passion for organic foods travelled Australia and finally settled in the tiny hamlet of Chudleigh where they established their very special Honey Farm.

Chudleigh is Tasmanian Tiger country. The rural hamlet sits under the mystical Great Western Tiers range of mountains with spectacular stands of ancient timbers and snow-capped craggy peaks: plenty of places for a legend to hide.

Henk and Lida Beerepoot with their son and daughter, Remmo and Fanny, believe their environment is close to paradise (in fact, if you look on a map, Paradise is about a 30-minute drive from Chudleigh!).

"We are pretty lucky to be living and working in such a beautiful place," says Remmo Beerepoot.  "We look straight up to the Tiers and they are always different. Every time you look, even after a few minutes, it can change. The red glow of a sunset on the crags or the stark white snow against a bright blue winter sky, the season and the light changes make it a spectacular place to live."

The family arrived from Holland in 1982.  Henk a chef and baker, established a continental bakery in Perth, Western Australia.  They also spent some time in Sydney and Queensland before a visit to Tasmania sealed their fate.

"We are a close family and Dad and Mum wanted to semi-retire. It was either going to be a Chudleigh or the Huon Valley,’" says Remmo.  Both regions were complimentary to the family’s valued healthy lifestyle, but Chudleigh was more central located within an hour’s drive of Launceston and Devonport as well as the Cradle Mountain region.

The family are also keen bushwalkers, although the success of the Honey Farm has limited the time they can take exploring Tasmania’s many walks.

"The business grew so rapidly. It has been a sweet success, we are blessed to be able to live and carry on our business in such a spectacular landscape," says Remmo.

At The Honey Farm, visitors can taste more than 50 varieties of honey, try honey icecreams, buy medicinal and beauty honey products, learn about the life history of the bee and even watch the insects at work in a glass hive.

Honeys are sought from around Tasmania, including traditional island favourites such as leatherwood, clover and brown top stringy bark.  In addition to selling pure honeys, Henk Beerepoot has plied his chef’s ability and devised a tempting range of honey blends, spiced honeys, icecreams and spreads.

Remmo said farm gate sales for Tasmania’s other gourmet icons cheese, wine and fruit were common, and The Honey Farm fulfills the missing link, given the international fame of the island’s leatherwood honey.

A new range of nut and honey products marry favourites such as pistachio, macadamia, walnut and even ginger with complimentary honeys.

 "We wanted to try and do interesting things to make people aware of the many uses of honeys," Remmo said.

The Honey Farm is at 39 Sorrell St, Chudleigh (the town’s main road). It is open six days a week between 9am and 5pm and closed on Saturdays.