How Just Bee Loved Started
Hi & welcome to our blog.
I'm Yasmin, Founder of Just Bee Loved.
I've never written a blog before, and so it seems appropriate that our first one should be a friendly introduction and to share with you how I came about establishing Just Bee Loved from an inspired idea in 2014.
A little about me... aside from now focusing on running Just Bee Loved, and having had a career within a few different fields (mainly media, the arts and international cultural relations), I tend to describe myself as a landscape & nature photographer/artist and a hobbyist natural beekeeper.
Born and living in South Wales, I'm a blessed mother and grandmother of two beautiful grandchildren. In between spending time with my family, taking pictures, I enjoy learning Japanese, experiencing and learning about different cultures of the world, listening to music and all things sci-fi (particularly Star Trek - yes! I've been an old-time trekkie since the 1970s!).
How Just Bee Loved started... back in 2014, I was venturing out to take some photographs. My theme for that day was "purple in nature". I didn't know at that time that bees are most attracted to all shades of purple flowers.
Came across my favourite flower, some orchids getting ready to bloom, and purple too! Yay! But instead of being enraptured just by these lovely purple orchids, I became fascinated with watching a foraging bumble bee; and got lost in contemplation as I watched one of nature's most loveliest relationships unfolding.
My "purple in nature" session became my "beeloved" session, and to cut a long story short, from that day on, I became interested in learning and researching everything about bees; setting up Just Bee Loved two-months after that inspired session.
In the beginning, mainly focused on creating home decor pieces, candles and greeting cards for both adults and children, but as time went on, this broadened out to include much more.
In 2016, joined the British Beekeepers Association, took beekeeping courses at a local club and received my first colony soon after. Had initially planned to launch the shop later that year, but life threw an unexpected curveball, forcing me to put it on hold until things became more settled. It wasn't until the end of 2018, that I was able to pick up from where had left off; from that idea that turned into a goal in 2014, Just Bee Loved Ltd. finally launched October 2019!
As I look back on the journey taken to reach here, in some ways it reminds me of when I first received my nuc of bees. A small but hopeful colony of approximately 3000 bees whose future relied (in no small part) on the care of an inexperienced beekeeper. But, when there is sincere care and respect at the heart, learning and determination as the driving force, small and weak can thrive to become big and strong.
Watching my now 50,000+ bees at the bottom of the garden inspires me everyday and keeps me hopeful that Just Bee Loved will thrive in the same way. 
Next blog:
Natural Beekeeping In The City
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