From their brewery, meadery and taproom in Caldicot in the Wye Valley, beekeeping brothers Kit and Matt Newell brew honey beers including a 3 Star Great Taste Award-winning Smoked Honey Porter called ‘The Big Smoke’, and a honey pilsner called ‘Nectar’ and pollen-infused hazy pale called ‘Pollinator’ which both launch in 440ml cans in June.
This month – to coincide with World Bee Day – Hive Mind has also launched a new range of sparkling mead in 330ml (4% ABV) cans. Other Hive Mind meadery products include an award-winning wine-style Traditional Mead and Oak Whiskey Barrel-Aged Traditional Mead.
Celebrating the beekeeping link, the new Hive Mind branding is based around colourful honeycomb illustrations. The new sparkling mead packaging highlights the 300,000 flowers visited and 50,000 miles flown by bees to make the honey which goes into every can.
Co-founder of Hive Mind, Kit Newell explained:
“Mead has seen a surge of interest in the craft drinks market in the USA, and we’ve been at the forefront of growing interest in the product here in the UK, pioneering modern mead styles and changing perceptions of this versatile drink.
“The rebrand to Hive Mind supports our ambitions to grow across the UK and in export markets, and underlines our company’s mission to help the honeybees through the honey we make and the beers and meads we brew. It also reflects the collaborative nature of the business and working together to create something more than the sum of its parts.
“Our session strength (4%) Sparkling Mead range was created to be light and refreshing, combined with natural and seasonal ingredients to make it a great choice for summer. Moving the range into cans mirrors the craft beer movement, makes the product more portable for outdoor events and is a more sustainable option than glass.
“It may be the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, but modern mead can stand head to head with beers, wines or spirits for its range of flavour profiles, as a base for cocktails or as a different option for food pairing. Our ambition is to use the new Hive Mind brand to help more people to discover this amazing natural drink, and support honeybees in the process” he said.
All of the company’s mead is gluten free, made with natural ingredients and uses British honey, including honey from its own hives in the Wye Valley, where its beekeeping supports local biodiversity, habitat conservation and important pollinator populations.
The Hive Mind Sparkling Mead range will be available to the off- and on-trade in cans or 30l kegs, through specialist drinks distributors and to consumers from independent retailers, delis, farm shops and online. Individual cans retail at £3,80 RRP and the four-pack at £15 RRP. Hive Mind also sells direct to consumer via its website.
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Video: Behind the scenes at Hive Mind
Contact/further into: Matt Appleby | matt@mattappleby.com | 07970475479
Date issued: 18 May 2023
Issued by: Matt Appleby Consulting Ltd