John Mellis Apiaries is an artisanal Scottish honey farm based at Cleuch House, Auldgirth, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. Operating with 400 hives across 100 square miles of low-intensity farmland and diverse woodlands, John Mellis is recognized as one of Scotland's most successful bee farmers. The farm produces a distinctive range of set Scottish honeys — including heather, blossom, and wildflower varieties — prized for their unique flavors derived from the rich, diverse flora of southwest Scotland.

The Beekeeper's Story

John Mellis began beekeeping as a hobby while working as a civil engineer, famously encountering his first swarm on a construction site. After years of keeping bees at the bottom of his garden, he eventually left civil engineering to pursue beekeeping full-time near Auldgirth, Dumfries. In his first year as a commercial beekeeper he produced a tonne and a half of honey, and by year two had three tonnes — though finding a market proved challenging. A breakthrough came at a trade fair in Aviemore, and the business grew from there. He and his wife Joan developed bespoke jar labels and beeswax candles to help sell the full range. John achieves distinctive flavors by carefully positioning and transporting hives throughout the season to the most interesting flower sources — including trees, wildflowers, clover, and heather — across 100 square miles of Dumfries & Galloway. His Scottish Heather Honey is notably supplied to Drambuie. As Honorary President of the South of Scotland Beekeepers Association, he is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of beekeepers.