Feel the buzz around Emporium Melbourne as 160,000 urban bees we sponsor enrich our ecosystem and make honey for us to donate to people experiencing food insecurity.
Melbourne City Rooftop Honey has over 130 hives across greater Melbourne with more than 30 in the central city. Each hive hosts up to 80,000 bees.
We’ve supported the company’s work since 2011 and currently sponsor two hives on the Emporium rooftop. Each year, we donate the first 20 kg of honey harvested to organisations listed in our Community Food Guide.
These organisations help vulnerable people access nutritious and locally produced food through breakfast programs and other initiatives.
Bees pollinate at least 65 per cent of the fruit and vegetables we eat, and so play a vital role in our ecosystem. Without bees, and all their hard work, many crops would struggle and some would disappear.
Vanessa Kwiatkowski, co-Founder of Melbourne City Rooftop Honey, said the company aims to use otherwise unused space and educate the community about the importance of bees to our food system.
‘Cities can be a wonderful place for bees. They do really well and produce honey unique to the local flora,’ Vanessa said.
‘Each location we keep hives has its own flavour. For example, the Southern Cross end of the city produces a stronger, bolder flavour, whereas the top end of the city has a light, floral taste.’
‘We need to think of our city as a place for not only to work but a liveable space – a place for humans and bees. If we can create a greener, more sustainable city, everyone benefits.’
We are committed to building a secure, sustainable and thriving food system and increasing access to nutritious, safe, fair and culturally appropriate food for all Melburnians.
To find out more, visit Food Policy, or view our Community Food Guide.
