About us
We are pleased to share a little of our story and our future vision for Coorong Apiaries.
Our History
Coorong Apiaries was established by passionate beekeeper Bill Brown in 1998.
Bill started his beekeeping journey with just one hive at the age of 12. Before leaving school, Bill worked for a number of SA beekeepers who provided Bill with opportunities to learn the ‘art of beekeeping’.
From the age of 17, Bill dreamt of owning 50 hives and a small hobby farm at Meningie. This dream was well and truly realised by 1998 when Coorong Apiaries became a reality. Roll on to 2016 and Bill had increased the size of his apiary to 2000 hives. In 2017, Natalie, born in Germany, with a successful career in the cosmetic and travel industries and herself a beekeeper and lover of nature, moved to Australia. Together, they now manage over 4000 hives, supported by an excellent team of family members and local people, who work throughout the year to produce high quality honey and honey products under the brand name of Coorong Gold.
Coorong Apiaries is accredited by BQual.
B-QUAL Australia Pty Limited is an independently developed and audited food safety program, established by the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC).
B-QUAL aims to ensure that all the honey produced in Australia is quality assured for both domestic and export markets. BQual accreditation has been designed to meet the specific requirements of the European Union (EU) for the export of honey and honey products and the requirements of the Food Safety Standards of Australia and New Zealand.
Our Vision
Bill and Natalie have always been committed conservationists and lovers of the land and seas.
Since 2012, they have acquired Youno Downs, Gidgee and Blackhill (leased) stations in Western Australia, and in New South Wales they own Nantilla Station and two properties near Emmaville – Hillview and Rossmoine. Closer to home, they own a heritage listed scrub block south of Meningie. In total, the total area of land under rehabilitation is 460,000 hectares.
It is their vision to engage in conservation projects that regenerate and bring back to life, scarred and denuded landscapes (the result of poor pastoral practices), so that Indigenous (and many endangered) species of flora, fauna and fish can once again flourish in their natural environs. These projects will be funded through sustainable carbon farming, agriculture and aquaculture activities and of course, the sale of Coorong Gold honey, beeswax and eucalyptus products.
Already the wildlife is returning including rare bush turkeys and nesting pairs of brolgas. 5000 acres of river red gum flats are currently being rehabilitated.
Bill and Natalie truly wish to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come!