Beekeeper

This role involves regular travel and work between our Head Office in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, and our hotels across the south coast. All applicants must hold a UK driving licence.

All applicants must have the full, existing right to work in the UK.

About us: THE PIG Hotels are committed to doing the little things brilliantly. Boutique hoteliers with decades of experience behind us and an obsessive commitment to what we believe in. We class ourselves as restaurants with rooms, our Kitchen Gardens are at the heart of what we do. We have an obsessive commitment to home-grown and local produce, and we celebrate the seasons. This means we use only the freshest and most authentic ingredients. Our kitchen gardeners work hand-in-hand with our chefs to create menus bursting with simple British garden food. What we can't grow or rear ourselves, we source from the local area. This is the foundation of our 25-mile menu.

For our honey production, we have a small team of beekeepers who collectively manage between 80 and 120 honey production colonies, working from our Head Office in Lyndhurst, Hampshire.

The role: We are looking to grow our team with the position of a Beekeeper. Reporting to our Group Apiary Manager, as Beekeeper you will be responsible for managing several honey production colonies. You will raise and care for our honeybee colonies focusing on our main objective – honey production and maintain healthy, pest-free bees.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Colony maintenance – At our Head Office and occasionally at our hotels.
• Nuc production.
• Manoeuvre of colonies on crops.
• Honey extraction & bottling – every 3-4 weeks in bee season.
• Frame building.
• Transport of hives between our sites across the Southwest.
• Conduct routine hive inspection & maintain hive records.
• Apiary maintenance.
• Occasional collection and deliveries.

What we are looking for: This role is perfect for someone who enjoys variety in their day. A genuine passion for food and honey is a must, plus excellent attention to detail. This role requires a can-do attitude and sociable approach, plus the ability to work independently as/when required. Experience in beekeeping, bee health and honey production is essential; please note you will not be considered if you do not have experience with beekeeping. You must have excellent knowledge of plant and animal biology and the physicality to manoeuvre heavy equipment. Carpentry skills and previous experience building frames is advantageous.

We are dedicated to making THE PIGs an inspiring, exciting, and fun place to work and in return for your hard work you can expect something a little different:

• Staff stays – free B&B.
• 35% discount on food, beverages & treatments.
• Annual holiday (increasing up to 33 days).
• Take home goods – cost price.
• Free access for you and your family to an on-demand GP, Physiotherapy, and counselling services through Help@Hand.
• A range of learning & development courses.
• Anniversary vouchers – dinner with wine for 2.

Home Grown Hotels is committed to encouraging equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against candidates based on any of the protected characteristics set out in the Equalities Act 2010.