About
Atlantic Gold Honey
Lockhart Apiaries was founded in 1970 when company founder Ralph Lockhart bought 5 packages of bees for $7 each. The first few years consisted of a large learning curve, making honey and giving it away to friends and family.
Since 1970
A Golden History
Originally what started out as a small side hobby soon turned into
an obsession. After being nearly wiped out in a storm in 1976, Ralph was back up to 40 hives by 1978 and getting into the low bush blueberry pollination business.
By 1980 Ralph had increased to 66 hives and by 1982 had increased again to 126 hives. During this period he was also working full time at CN Rail and hired a full time employee. In 1983 Ralph sent honeybees to Nova Scotia for pollination and continued to expand in numbers. The honey house that
we still operate out of to this day was purchased in 1984.
After several years of managing hives in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia it was decided that all hives would be moved back to New Brunswick. It had become to difficult to tend 400+ hives in Nova Scotia as well as tend 400+ hives in New Brunswick. By that time the blueberry industry had expanded
to the point that he could rent all his hives within N.B.
Our Vision
To maintain healthy happy hives and to produce high quality honey our customers can feel good about eating.
Our Mission
We strive to raise healthy, hearty and gentle honey bees. We maintain the highest quality standards to deliver to our customers some of the best tasting honey in the world.
Our Values
Respectful, hard working, integrity. These are just a few of the core values our team of beekeepers lives by at Lockhart Apiaries, Words we live by “If you take care of the bees, they will take care of you”.
Ralph Lockhart was known for his vast amount of industry knowledge as well as his generosity in time he would spend with new aspiring beekeepers. He was heavily involved with the New Brunswick Beekeeping Association as well as the Canadian Honey Council. Atlantic Gold Honey has become a household name within New Brunswick with grass roots going back to the beginning.
Today we are into the second generation of beekeepers. We manage a 1000 hive operation. We do blueberry, apple and vegetable pollination. We raise our own local queens. We sell starter colonies to new beekeepers. We have continued to expand our Atlantic Gold Honey brand. We still sell honey and beeswax candles. We are also still heavily involved in guiding the local provincial beekeeping industry as well helping out at the national level with the Canadian Honey Council.
Experts
Our Team Of Beekeepers
Chris Lockhart
OWNER
Chris Lockhart is a second-generation beekeeper. Born in Moncton, Chris spent time in Nova Scotia and Alberta before coming back home and getting involved in the family farm. With a love for the outdoors and physical labour, this was an easy transition. While managing Lockhart Apiaries and Atlantic Gold Honey, Chris also volunteers his time as a board member of the New Brunswick Beekeepers Association and is also the Atlantic Canadian representative on the Canadian Honey Council. When Chris is not in the bee yard he can usually be found woodworking in his shop or fishing in a river.
Keltie Tonge
SALES MANAGER
Often referred to as the “swiss army knife” at Lockhart Apiaries, Keltie’s responsibilities spill into both sides of the company. Primarily Keltie manages the retail honey line “Atlantic Gold”. But when things are busy you can often catch Keltie working the bees with the rest of the crew or moving bees at night to blueberry pollination. Keltie has a heavy tourism background and has lived all over Canada. In his spare time, Keltie is a volunteer firefighter in Hillsborough.
Jared Burgoyne
BEEKEEPER
Jared takes pride in being the most mechanically inclined employee at Lockhart Apiaries. It is believed that he was a vehicle mechanic in his previous life. His love for welding and figuring out problems makes him the “fix it” guy around the farm. Jared is the longest-serving member of the Lockhart Apiaries team. As well as being a very established beekeeper, Jared takes care of most of the colony trucking between blueberry fields and honey yards. Jared spends his time playing in his Toyota pick-up truck, riding his dirt bike, or helping his friends fix up their vehicles.
Brett Edwards
BEEKEEPER
Brett is a father of three and has been beekeeping for over a decade. Brett enjoys the hard physical labour associated with beekeeping. Whether it’s harvesting honey, mowing yards, making splits, or going through the hives, Brett enjoys it all. Brett spends his spare time mostly with his family hiking the outdoors or helping coach his daughter’s basketball team. Brett also enjoys going to the gym for a casual workout.
Business Info
We Can't Wait to Hear From You!
Call Us
506-859-8186
Location
Lockhart Apiaries Inc.
2319 Rte 106, Allison, NB
E1G 4L4