Valesca Guerrand-Hermès is Adding Sweetness to the Sustainability Conversation

But just how did Guerrand-Hermès become so taken with such sweet ambrosia? After she purchased the farm in 1997, she began harvesting such fruit as blueberries, apples and peaches, strictly as a hobby. While Guerrand-Hermès describes herself as a longtime honey lover, about six years ago she discovered that not everything about the emulsion is to be believed.

“Honey is the third most counterfeited product in the world, which surprised me,” says Guerrand-Hermès. “So I started checking my honey, seeing how liquid it was and if it would dissolve quickly. I wanted to understand what was counterfeit and what wasn't. There are so many imitations out there.”

The realization put Guerrand-Hermès on a mission to develop something different, special. Her  process is special, as well. She doesn't harvest her hives altogether, but one at a time and once a year, as opposed to twice annually, which lends a subtle difference in taste and makes for a more natural product. “I decided to go to the furthest, most opposite extreme,” she says. “All of my boxes are numbered. All of my jars are numbered. What I wanted to produce is something special, not just an average run-of-the-mill honey.”

Guerrand-Hermès incorporates her farm’s own lavender and wildflower into certain batches, and - unlike most honey purveyors - doesn’t dose hers with sugar or additives. 

“Most beekeepers will take all the honey away and feed bees sugar water so they can get through the winter,” says Guerrand-Hermès. “It’s wrong. It makes your hives weak, but most people want profit before quality.”

Currently, Guerrand-Hermès is sharing V Réserve with select New York restaurants, but her plans for the brand go beyond that of a delicious spread. She’s incorporating her honey into scrubs and skincare all based around the concept of organic, feel-good products sourced straight from the earth. 

“Everything will be based around the concept of no toxins, no preservatives, no junk,” says Guerrand-Hermès. “With what's happening in the world, with what everyone's consuming and putting on their skin, I’m just trying to bring back a sense of purity in what we choose to consume.”

Throughout her honey journey, Guerrand-Hermès says she’s learned more than she ever thought possible. Spending time with her hives and crops has taught her some pretty important life lessons, mostly about slow living, letting go of what you can’t control and the idea that nature tends to care for those who care for it back - outside of an occasional sting. 

“Bees are an incredibly kind society, where they all work together and protect each other,” says Guerrand-Hermès. “But how you treat them is important in terms of how the hive will respond to you. If you treat them gently, they're much kinder and calmer and won’t swarm you. Not that you don't get stung once in a while, because you do. But overall, it's been a fun learning curve. It's a fascinating, beautiful, peaceful, hard working life. I get a lot of satisfaction in what I produce.”