Purple Haven Lavender Farm x Awesome Sauce Bee Emporium

A visit to a lavender farm might bring images of purple fields, relaxing picnics and afternoon tea to mind. At Purple Haven Lavender Farm, visitors can now add something else to that list: getting up close with an active bee colony. 

The unique experience is the result of a partnership between Purple Haven Lavender Farm and Awesome Sauce Bee Emporium, bringing together two local businesses with a shared interest in creating memorable experiences and helping people better understand the importance of bees. 

The partnership began in late 2024, when Jo-Ann of Awesome Sauce Bee Emporium visited Purple Haven near the end of the lavender season with a friend to cut their own lavender. While walking through the fields, she noticed bees working among the flowers and asked owner Kim whether she kept bees on the property. 

At the time, Purple Haven was using a commercial beekeeper who brought bees onto the farm. Jo-Ann went home that evening thinking about the possibilities and reached out to Kim to ask whether she would be interested in having hives on the property year-round. 

The answer was yes. 

Jo-Ann and her husband, Paul, soon met with Kim at the farm to discuss the idea. In the spring of 2025, Jo-Ann placed 10 hives on the property, with the hives decorated in lavender-inspired colours. But the partnership quickly became more than simply keeping bees among the lavender. 

Purple Haven’s focus is tourism, with experiences including high teas and picnics in the lavender fields. Kim was looking for ways to make those experiences even more interactive, while Jo-Ann wanted to give people an opportunity to learn about bees in a way that went beyond simply seeing a hive from a distance. Together, they began developing experiences that would bring the two businesses together. 

The first programs were designed with children in mind, introducing them to bees and helping them understand their role in the environment. As interest grew, the experiences expanded. “Coffee with Jo and the Bees” offered adults a more informal opportunity to ask questions and learn about beekeeping. 

Eventually, the partnership evolved into its most immersive experience yet. 

Visitors can enjoy a high tea in the lavender fields before heading over to the hives with Jo-Ann. Those who are comfortable can suit up like a beekeeper and step inside the world of the hive. Participants can learn how to use a smoker and, under Jo-Ann’s guidance, hold a frame containing approximately 10,000 bees or more. 

The two businesses have continued to develop the experiences together, adapting them based on the people who visit the farm. Jo-Ann also attends Purple Haven events to answer questions, talk about the bees and help visitors make a connection between the lavender fields and the hives working among them. 

The result is a collaboration that brings together two very different businesses with a natural connection. Purple Haven provides the setting, the lavender and the tourism experience, while Awesome Sauce Bee Emporium brings the bees, the knowledge and the hands-on beekeeping experience. 

By combining their ideas, skills, and experiences, Purple Haven and Awesome Sauce Bee Emporium have created a tourism experience that invites people to slow down, get curious, and experience firsthand the remarkable ways bees work alongside Mother Nature to create a thriving ecosystem.