Beekeeping Innovations: Building a Future for Bees

Most small businesses open their doors to meet a need, a new café for your morning coffee, a mechanics shop to keep you rolling, a boutique to bring something unique to the neighbourhood. But every once in a while there’s an entrepreneur who isn’t just filling a need, they’re trying to change an industry. That’s exactly what Herman is doing with his company Beekeeping Innovations

Backyard Memories to Big Ideas

Herman’s beekeeping roots started close to home. His mother was a beekeeper when he was growing up in Calgary, and the memory of those hives stuck with him. After building and selling another company, he found himself back in the world of beekeeping. That return sparked something bigger, a question.

“Being fundamentally an entrepreneur, I wanted to figure out, where is an opportunity? But also where is a problem that can be solved?” Herman said.

Because the truth is stark: “The main problem is that bees are dying at unprecedented rates. Sadly it’s not uncommon for beekeepers to lose 50% of their bee hives.” Herman stated.

To make up for those losses, Canada imports an astonishing 350,000 queen bees and millions of bees from every year from countries like Australia and New Zealand. Not only is this unsustainable, it carries the risk of introducing devastating new diseases into local bee populations.

Fine, I’ll Do It Myself

Before Beekeeping Innovations Herman was working to bring a product from Israeli company Beewise to Canada. Beewise was pioneering high-tech hive systems with sensors, AI, and robotics. He spent two years trying to bring their technology to Canada, but the company ultimately decided their design wouldn’t hold up to our winters. Encouraged by the reception he recieved, he found himself at a turning point.

“I put so much time and effort into this, so let’s put some more time and effort in and see what we can do” he said laughing.

The result is the Bee Cube, an insulated, portable system that blends traditional beekeeping with modern technology. The cube helps to reduce the population loss through the winter. With sensors he is implementing, beekeepers can monitor their hives without having to physically be there and disturb the hive. Critically his product is also particularly good at raising new queens and colonies, giving Canadian beekeepers the ability to replenish their own stock instead of relying on importing, and can sell the queens they make to other local beekeepers.

A Rare Kind of Entrepreneur

Beekeeping is an industry that’s slow to change, with tight margins and little room for risk, the way beekeeping is done really hasn’t changed. But Herman is tailoring his technology to meet beekeepers where they are, focusing on making products affordable and adaptable. He isn’t trying to change the way people do business but rather augment the current system to solve a problem with the current way things are done.

“My vision is that a beekeeper would want some of these (bee cubes) in their set of equipment so they can focus on making queens; to replenish, expand, and also to sell to other beekeepers.” Herman shared.

Herman dreams of seeing Bee Cubes across Canada and beyond, reducing our dependence on imported bees and queens, and help bring some stability to the bee populations here in Canada.

Final Thoughts

Spend a little time with Herman and you see that this isn’t just business for him. Working with bees is where he finds calm, a chance to slow down, leave stress behind, and listen to the hum of the hive. That passion, paired with his determination, is what makes him such a rare kind of entrepreneur. Not many are bold enough to try to reimagine an entire industry that’s gone unchanged for nearly 200 years, let alone one as vital as beekeeping.

At its core, Beekeeping Innovations is about more than building a better hive, it’s about building a future where bees, and the food systems we all rely on, can thrive.

Because as Herman reminds us, one third of what ends up on our plates depends on pollination. Without the bees, we all lose.