Lavender honey
Supplier: Miellerie Saint Joseph
Ingredients: 100% Lavender Honey - Unheated, untreated
Net Weight: 500g
Made in France
Get to know the producers better
Emmanuelle & Bruno CAMUS
Emmanuelle and Bruno, Hello. Can you tell us about your background in a few words?
Emmanuelle: We are full-time beekeepers since 1999, and settled after my dad who started beekeeping in the 70s. Bruno has a training in agricultural engineer (ISARA Lyon), but it is by meeting me that he truly encountered beekeeping and bees. For years, we have helped my father on his farm, Bruno with the bees and me with everything else: the markets, the potting, ...
Bruno: In 1992, we had to make a professional choice. We were looking for a living environment that would allow us to reconcile family and professional life. We then bought our first own beehives, around 150 beehives. At the same time, I accepted a teaching activity in a nearby agricultural high school: The Mandailles high school in Chateauneuf de Galaure. I trained students in the professional cycle in quality trades: food quality control, laboratory work, etc.
The CAMUS family
Emmanuelle: In 1999, my father wanted to reduce his activity, and we took the step of professionalization: Bruno resigned from his teaching position, we increased the herd, and we launched ourselves in this way.
And on the family level?
Emmanuelle: From a family perspective, we got married young, in 1988. We were 20 and 21 years old. We had two children quite quickly: Alexandre and Pauline. A few years later, we wanted to open our family to a little girl with Down's syndrome: Claire-Marie, whom we adopted at the age of 5 months. (For Down's syndrome, see the website of the Fondation Jérôme LEJEUNE (www.fondationlejeune.org). Today they are respectively 29, 28 and 25 years old.
What is your living environment?
Bruno: We live in a small village in Drôme des Collines: BREN. Anchored in our territory, this is why our name: Miellerie des Collines, refers to the hills of our Drôme, where a good part of our bees forage! Our working and living environment is rural and country, and we are happy about it. The marketing of our bee products often leads us to meet our customers in town, for example during the Lyon Christmas Market every winter, but our balance is based on this beautiful rural environment.
Emmanuelle: We enjoy living in such a rural environment, far from the stress of cities and traffic jams. In return, we spend time in our cars ... but there are no red lights or traffic jams.
The village of Bren
What are your commitments?
Emmanuelle: Our individual and common journey is very marked by our faith. She guided our life choices, family and professional, and we are happy. On the other hand, we have a particular attachment for people with intellectual disabilities. We live daily with people with disabilities, first with our daughter Claire-Marie, then with disabled workers with whom we work in the honey factory.
Bruno: Finally, I will mention our professional participation in the Network of CIVAM: Centers of Initiatives to Promote Agriculture and Rural Areas. It is a network of farmers and rural stakeholders united to pool and federate rural development initiatives. Finally, still in the register of faith and life, I was ordained a permanent deacon by our bishop of Valence on February 7, 2009 (see the section “The Honey Shop month after month” on this date). For those who wish, you can find more information on the website of the National Diaconate Committee: https://diaconat.catholique.fr/
