Pandemic slowing you down? Rolls-Royce is abuzz

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Matthew Pritchard

Content producer

3 min read

We often hear people describe fancy things as "the Rolls-Royce of - ", but when it comes to this particular brand of honey, that's literally the case.

Bee Apiary at the Home of Rolls-Royce, located in Goodwood, West Sussex, is currently producing "the world's most exclusive honey" at record levels. In fact, according to Rolls-Royce, the company is set to exceed their 2020 volume targets for the 'Rolls-Royce of Honey' thanks to their "- dedicated 250,000-strong workforce". Tee hee.

Surprised Rolls-Royce has an apiary? I was too! But it's a pleasant surprise. The Apiary is Rolls-Royce's answer to declining Honey Bee populations in Britain.

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The Apiary is just one part of the Goodwood facility's commitment to environmental sustainability.
The Apiary is just one part of the Goodwood facility's commitment to environmental sustainability.

If you've ever watched a nature documentary or seen one of the MANY memes made on the subject, you know why this is important. If not, the basic gist is: bees pollinate plants, most importantly for humans - food crops - if they die out, the earth's ecosystem and, subsequently, food supplies get all messed up, and you end up in a certain Cormac McCarthy novel.

So, to help protect the local agricultural economy, beginning in 2017 Rolls-Royce developed the Apiary Project, and its as Rolls-Royce-y as you'd expect.

According to Rolls-Royce, The Goodwood Apiary is made up of "six traditional, English crafted, wooden beehives". Okay, so what's so fancy about that? Well, each one has polished stainless-steel nameplate handcrafted in the company's Bespoke Workshop (note use of proper nouns).

The Apiary is Rolls-Royce's answer to declining Honey Bee populations in Britain.
The Apiary is Rolls-Royce's answer to declining Honey Bee populations in Britain.

Five of these beehives are named after Rolls-Royce models: Phantom, Wraith, Ghost, Dawn and Cullinan. The sixth is named the 'Spirit of Ecstasy', which is a reference to the Marque's mascot, not your mate who gets weirdly 'touchy-feely' at music festivals.

The Apiary is just one part of the Goodwood facility's commitment to environmental sustainability. According to Richard Carter, Director of Global Communications at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars: "Our sustainable buildings, thermal ponds, rainwater management systems and wildfowl refuge have already made the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood one of the UK's most eco-friendly manufacturing facilities." So, it's nice to see the bee population getting a hand in there as well.

According to Rolls-Royce, The Goodwood Apiary is made up of
According to Rolls-Royce, The Goodwood Apiary is made up of

But there's still the burning question, how much will the world's most exclusive honey cost you? Well, here's the rub, it's only offered to company guests. So, in order for you to taste that sweet, sweet bee goo you'll probably need to buy and take delivery of a Rolls-Royce. But hey, buying some fancy honey and having a free Phantom thrown in? Sounds like a good deal to me.

Photo of Matthew Pritchard
Matthew Pritchard

Content producer

Matt is a content producer at Carsguide and Oversteer and one half of the ‘Richard and Pritchard’ science duo (he also tells people he’s an actor). A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Matt studied creative writing and advertising. At least he would have, if he didn't spend most of his time getting distracted by trashy TV. Luckily, he’s been able to find a use for this (previously useless) knowledge, compensating for his admittedly limited automotive knowledge by focusing on weird TV shows, car paint jewellery and ghost cars.
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