PODCAST EPISODE 17: Jill and John Richards from Nature’s Gold, Brisbane, Australia

I love a good team. There is a very beautiful saying by Mother Theresa that reads, "None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful." I have been doing a lot of thinking about what it means to work as a team, no matter how small that team might be. At Ben’s Bees, I do a lot of running around on my own, but each and every day I rely on the help of my employees, colleagues, clients, friends and family to help make my business a success. These small and large collaborations keep me inspired, spark new ideas and help the daily running of my business.

Despite the deep respect I have for individuals that go out there and turn their dreams into reality, there is a different respect that goes out to those who find a way to join their passion with someone else’s, creating a symbiotic relationship where work is infused with the connection between those people – what is achieved has great heart and soul. I have also noticed that ventures where people join together in a partnership or larger group tend to create products and services that naturally connect with more people and encourage further collaboration – each small act of love (as described by Mother Theresa) joining to the next to make something that moves, brightens, warms and changes the world. For that reason, I am thrilled to introduce the first beekeeping couple to the BEES WITH BEN beekeeping podcast, Jill and John Richards from Nature’s Gold!

Based in Brisbane, Queensland, there is a personal reason why Nature’s Gold specialises in manuka honey varieties, and why Jill and John are “The Manuka Honey People.” Jill Richards started the company 15 years ago now, when a bad case of eczema saw her turn to manuka honey to aid her troubled skin. Now, having built a dream venture with her husband John, the duo sells their incredible and potent manuka products to the public for therapeutic benefits. Nature’s Gold also supplies hospitals with manuka products, where it is achieving great results healing burns and ulcers where antibiotics are unsuccessful. Last but not least, Nature’s Gold is now making manuka products to help out animals with their own skin ailments! Tune in to hear Jill, John and myself chat about the potency of the duo’s manuka honey, the “war” between Aussies and Kiwis for the manuka label, the benefits of beekeeping cooperatives, and investing in particular plant species for the creation of high-grade medicinal honey varieties

https://naturesgold.com.au

https://www.bensbees.com.au