Sam Cooper

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Not many people are lucky enough to from a hobby into a career.

But this is what Matt Newell , 30, has done, is to make Honey from his bees, Mead sticks - an alcoholic Drink - which is now on sale over the Wye Valley .

Mr Newell, from Chepstow, has launched his business, the Wye Valley Meadery, a year after the acquisition, support and advice from The Prince 's Trust Cymru, which supports Young People in the economy.

He is now The Winner of The Trust NatWest Enterprise Award, after he made his idea into a "sustainable business".

"I've been beekeeping as a hobby for 15 years, and wanted Mead said commercially for a long time," Mr Newell.

"But I had needed no business experience, so to help with That and also How To market a niche product in a highly competitive market. "

Mr. Newell's interest in beekeeping began in his youth, when a commercial beekeeper asked to help him with his 500 hives.

"I loved it immediately," he said. "It seems so confusing at first, all The Bees swarming everywhere, but behind it is completely.

"It's like a whole super-organism working together for one Goal - the creation of food for the winter, and the expansion and the survival of The Colony . "

Matt Newell used smoke to confuse The Bees and stop them to attack, if he checks on his hives

Mr Newell formally only enterprise began in earnest, however, after he quit a job in construction.

Determined to Mead his idea into practice, he spent months in the recipes, before setting the room in a local brewery to test.

His brother, Kit, 29, app-designer, began to sparkling wine to help, and now The Duo produce 2,000 liters (around 3,500 litres) of Mead a month.

The Drink , which has a 5. 5% alcohol and comes in a variety of flavors, is now available in 25 shops.

Mr Newell said: "Some people know what is Met, or also That it is from the Honey .

"But it is often popular in the modern craft-beer drinkers, and female customers.

"We are planning a low-or non-alcoholic version soon, as That is where the demand is.

"We hope to help to bring Mead back into the mainstream, and the knowledge of the importance of bees. "

Matt Newell and his brother Kit is to believe Mead is making a comeback,

in order to have enough Honey for the Mead , Mr Newell has 130 hives, each with about 60,000 Welsh Honey bees.

The Brothers also buy other local Honey .

in Spite of his work, Mr Newell known enjoys, That the self-employed in the bee-industry has its challenges.

The Brothers have hives over the Wye Valley

"I work all the time," he said. "And I also stung too much, but That 's because I don't choose gloves to wear so That I can do the tricky bits in the structure.

"The Bees are also instinctively afraid of the Brown Bear - their only Predator - so if you see something brown and furry, you go crazy. That is, if you want to be around them. "

The Brothers are not the only ones to promote the try Mead .

In America , Anheuser-Busch brewery - behind Beers such as Budweiser , has recently started production of Met.

And in England, the conservation charity English Heritage claims is the UK's largest retailer of Mead by his gift, stores and online. In 2018, he said it sold a bottle every 10 Minutes .

The TV sensation Game of Thrones may have helped, make Mead

elsewhere in Wales, a heather Mead produced by Afon Mêl Meadery in Ceredigion recently won "the Best product of Wales," Great taste Awards", the First Time a Met has won the award.

The meadery, based on New Quay Honey Farm has been running for two generations, and supplied to independent shops in the UK.

Director Sam Cooper , said: "I know of four new meaderies in the United Kingdom, which have opened in The Past year. But the biggest change we have seen, is in the mind of the customer.

"Young People now know what is to be Met, largely, I think, thanks to "Game of Thrones", in which he was often drunk. "

Sophie Atherton , beer sommelier, said: "I see the increase in the popularity of Mead as with The Craft -beer boom and the wave of interest in gin.

"Our culture today is full of desire to try new things and experience new flavors.

"Perhaps it is also an element, add a 'instagramable' historical setting, and you have a Drink , everyone wants to be seen supping. "

Mr. Newell was with his Prince's Trust award on Thursday in Cardiff.

Philip Jones, Director of The Prince 's Trust Cymru, said: "Matthew is supported by one of around 4,000 Young People from The Prince 's Trust in Wales over The Past year.

"His passion for beekeeping, with the support of our staff and volunteers, made him a More Than worthy winner of our NatWest Enterprise Award and we are excited to see what he can achieve in The Future . "

A brief history of Mead ,

Mead or Honey wine is the oldest known alcoholic Drink , to be drunk by the Vikings, Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans alike.

It consists of only three Ingredients - Honey , water and yeast for the fermentation, even if there are other flavors like hops or elderberry flowers can be added.

The earliest archaeological evidence for Mead dates back to 9000BC in Northern China; in Europe, The First traces date to 2800-1800BC.

Mead also appears in the classical literature, memorialised Beowulf in the Mead -halls of The Epic poem, and also in The Mabinogion . It was also mentioned by Aristotle, Dostoevsky, Chaucer, and, more recently, JRR Tolkien.

Mead was popular in the middle ages, but the increasing cost and scarcity of Honey soon made it expensive for most, and its popularity waned.

Tej, The National Drink of Ethiopia, is also berele, a form of Mead , drunk from a conventional container called.

bees, chepstow, alcohol, wales business

Source of news: bbc.com