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ORAL HISTORY

Nicole Buergers

Bee2Bee Honey Collective

“Beekeeping is beautiful,” says Nicole Buergers. “It is such an experience to be in touch with nature and to get a glimpse into this other society of the bee colony. It’s a spiritual connection.” Gifted a hive for her 33rd birthday, she began her beekeeping journey while working as a cheese monger at Houston Dairymaids. “Houston Dairymaids finds farmers and brings their products to Houstonians. I thought I could build a community of communities as well and specialize in doing honey by neighborhood.” Through a crowdfunding campaign she made this idea a reality by launching Bee2Bee honey in 2016. A collective, it connects backyard beekeepers to markets for selling honey, while providing mentorship and maintenance services to participants. Known for hyper-local small batch honeys, she believes her products provide an excellent representation of terroir. “Terroir is basically the taste of a place,” she says. “It’s the very specific environment that lends its essence to the flavor of food. The spring-fed wildflower cows versus the hay winter cows’ milk is very different. I learned that through cheese. Honey, since the bees are only flying in, say, a three-mile radius around the hive, it’s very specific to the taste of a very specific time and place. It’s the ultimate expression of what’s surrounding us.”