It was a bittersweet victory for local honey producer Jeff Bourke, after winning a prize for the company’s prized product – leatherwood honey.
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The Australian Honey Products supervisor won the prize for best leatherwood honey at the 71st annual conference of The Tasmanian Beekeepers Association.
Mr Bourke said beekeepers from across the state submitted their best samples from the current season of honey, in an array of categories.
“My sample came from a site near Waratah it was my first year entering in the competition,” Mr Bourke said.
He said he took on 20 other entrants, and best leatherwood was the most fiercely contested category.
“We're very happy because we're on a roll. Leatherwood honey is sourced from Tasmania's rainforest, that’s the only place you can get it,” Mr Bourke said.
He said last year the company won the Best Honey in the World award at the 2015 world beekeeping convention.
Mr Bourke said he is currently in the midst of a multimillion dollar expansion, moving the honey packing facility to a new plant in Sheffield.
“The (federal) government matched our investment one-to-one...and we are going to employ around 15 additional people.”