Honey production

---

Ash Apiaries Ltd. has been keeping bees and producing honey on a commercial level for over 45 years.  Colonies are managed and maintained for optimal honey production. Our geographical area is well suited for honey production by providing the proper soil types and weather patterns that allow "bee friendly" crops such as canola, clover and alfalfa to flourish.
 

We have over 200 individual apiaries (bee yards) spread throughout the valley between the Riding Mountains and the Duck Mountains.
 

At harvest, full supers of honey are removed from the hives and brought to the extraction shed. Supers are stored overnight to allow the honey to warm slightly to provide consistent flow during extraction.
 

The full frames of honey pass through an uncapper machine to remove the wax cappings the bees have placed over the cells of the frame.
 

The frames are now ready to enter the extractor. The extractor uses centrifugal force to gently remove the honey from the cells of the frame.
 

The honey is then pumped to a wax separator which uses centrifugal force to separate bits of wax from the honey. The fresh honey is then pumped into large settling tanks.
 

Due to the short harvest season (July 15 - September 15) raw honey is stored in drums or other large containers for packaging at a later date.
 

Honey processing
 

In 1989 Ash Apiaries Ltd. built a honey processing facility to allow the capability to package the honey we produce into various sized containers for end-use customers.
 

Our brand, Sunshine Valley Honey is 100% Pure Canadian Honey.
 

Liquid Honey
 

Sunshine Valley Liquid Honey is available non-pasteurized as well as pateurized depending on customer preference.  It is packaged in clear PET squeeze bottles with flip-top caps, perfect for pouring on your favorite foods.
 

Creamed Honey

Sunshine Valley Creamed Honey is non-pasteurized liquid honey that is mixed with very fine granulated honey. The result of this process is a very smooth and consistant granulated honey. Creamed honey is perfect for spreading on toast, bagels and waffles or for putting in hot beverages such as tea or coffee. Our creamed honey is not pasteurized.
 

Flavored Creamed Honey
 

Sunshine Valley Flavored Honey is our creamed honey gently mixed with flavor extracts to create unique flavor profiles.  Sunshine Valley Flavored Honey is non-pasteurized.
 

Raw Honey
 

Sunshine Valley Raw Honey has not been subjected to any high temperature or high pressure filtering. Raw honey will granulate (crystallize) quickly so consumers should expect to see partially or fully granulated containers.
 

Honey is a natural product and as such will vary in taste, colour and physical state depending on the floral source.