SUGI BEE GARDEN was founded in Kumamoto, Kyushu, over 70 years ago in 1946.
When our founder, Takeo Sugi, entered the world of beekeeping, he started with just three hives.
"Kumamoto, with its warm climate and flowers blooming all year round, can produce the best honey in Japan," he thought, and resolved to create a high-quality product that would satisfy his customers. In 1961, he and his wife, Sugi Michiko, established SUGI BEE GARDEN and, through repeated trial and error, they came up with methods that satisfied them, from raising bees to harvesting honey, never cutting corners. The passion of the time of the company's founding is still passed down to the beekeepers at SUGI BEE GARDEN, and the company currently has the largest number of bee colonies in Japan.
History of SUGI BEE GARDEN
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- History of SUGI BEE GARDEN
It all started with three beehives.
Since its founding, SUGI BEE GARDEN has maintained a consistent approach to manufacturing, doing everything they can themselves and sticking to an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship.
Honey harvesting activities take place from April to August in Kumamoto, Akita, and Hokkaido, searching for the most suitable nectar sources while carefully assessing changes in the environment and weather.
Even outside of these times, we carry out planned beekeeping activities in pursuit of the highest quality, such as creating new queen bees to produce honey the following year, cultivating healthy bees (strong colonies), preparing for winter including measures against hornets, and building original hives.
From Kumamoto to the world.
SUGI BEE GARDEN 's "GLOBAL CHALLENGE"
SUGI BEE GARDEN will continue to collaborate with beekeepers around the world to promote innovation in beekeeping.
We aim to further strengthen our beekeeping capabilities by expanding our beekeeping activities globally, not just within Japan but across the globe, and by honing our international perspective and sensibilities.
By collaborating with excellent beekeepers from around the world, we practice "healthy beekeeping" on a global scale.
He has traveled to beekeeping powerhouses such as Canada, France, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil, honing his global perspective and sensibilities.
By working together on site and talking about beekeeping, they have come to deeply sympathize with SUGI BEE GARDEN 's philosophy of "healthy beekeeping," and are expanding their activities in search of honeybees of the highest quality.
This activity is an opportunity to gain deep global knowledge and consideration about the future of beekeeping, and also a chance to acquire new ideas and creativity. We believe that true innovation will be born from actively sending beekeepers overseas to absorb international information and, conversely, by gaining awareness of our own strengths.
SUGI BEE GARDEN established a local subsidiary in 2019 with the cooperation of the New Zealand government. Since then, we have been working closely with the New Zealand government and exchanging information on a daily basis, and our beekeeping team members go to the site and harvest manuka honey themselves.
