How honey is being produced by a company in the Burren.
The North Clare Honey Company hopes to reduce the price of Irish made honey for the consumer. It is estimated that over two thousand people keep bees in Ireland each with an average of seven hives.
Beekeeping in Ireland has always been a smallholder's pastime.
There are less than half a dozen beekeepers in the country. These firms operate hundreds of hives to produce honey or they import honey for processing. While traditionally most honey is produced on the east coast of Ireland, a beekeeping company in the Burren in Clare is now looking to produce on a large scale.
The Irish honey market is estimated to be worth around £200,000 a year and growing. Ireland produces 200 tonnes of honey a year and imports 900 tonnes.
The North Clare Honey Company now claims to be the biggest honey producer in the country and has plans for expansion. The first challenge for any producer of honey is how to get the honey out of the honeycomb.
Eric Williams and Michael O'Brien of The North Clare Honey Company explain how the process of honey extraction works. They also describe the various grades of Irish honey.
The health benefits of consuming honey has seen a growing popularity for the food and an increase in sales.
It's the ideal food for the human body.
The challenge for honey makers is that the price of Irish produced honey is higher than its imported equivalent. The North Clare Honey Company hopes to produce more and reduce the cost to consumers through economies of scale.
This episode of 'Newsbeat' was broadcast on 2 October 1969. The reporter is Cathal O'Shannon.
