Betting on Bees – From 100 Hives to 4,000 Through the Tough Times

While much of New Zealand's beekeeping industry has spent recent years tightening belts and riding out uncertainty, Marlborough-Tasman beekeepers Matt and Sarah Goldsworthy have been doing the opposite – they’ve expanded, backing themselves and the industry all the way.

"It's not all about making money, it's doing something you enjoy every day,” says Matt Goldsworhty, who has spent nearly 20 years beekeeping and, along with wife Sarah, has grown Goldsworhty Apiaries significantly in its first five years.

Between purchasing established honey and extracting businesses, welcoming their third child, managing around 4,000 hives across the top of the South Island and growing multiple parts of their operation, life has rarely slowed for the Goldsworthys in the past five years.

Despite entering one of the toughest periods the New Zealand beekeeping industry has experienced in decades, the couple remain firmly optimistic about the future, and it shows.

From Humble Beginnings

Matt, 39, grew up on a dairy farm in the Wairarapa and discovered beekeeping by helping a friend during the honey flow. That led to commercial beekeeping in the Manawatū, followed by eight years in Blenheim before moving to Tasman six years ago. Along the way he worked for, first, Southern Sun Apiaries, then Taylor Pass Honey Company, followed by Sherry Valley Apiaries, all the while building valuable experience with the long-term goal of one day establishing a business of his own.

Sarah, 38, grew up in Auckland before moving to Blenheim to live with her mother, where she met Matt.

"He took me out beekeeping," she says.

"I thought it was cool and I liked the guy and saw a future with him. The way he spoke about bees was so cool that he was so into it."

The couple started with just 100 hives, but from the outset they were looking ahead. Their goal was to build a diversified business, growing hive numbers while expanding into pollination and other opportunities as they arose.

Backing Themselves During Uncertain Times

In Winter 2023, Matt and Sarah became co-owners of J Bush & Sons, a respected Marlborough honey brand with more than a century of history, having began producing honey in 1916. It was a significant step, particularly with the honey industry experiencing one of its most difficult periods.

“When we went to have a look at J Bush & Sons, it was too much of a beast for us," Matt explains.

However, a partnership made it possible for them to take the step.

For Matt and Sarah Goldsworthy, despite huge demands on their time in a fast-growing beekeeping business, the top priority is time with children, from left, Harrison, Stevie and Gracie.

"We wouldn't have done it, or couldn't have afforded to do it, without that support."

Before the partnership was finalised, J Bush & Sons took Matt and Sarah through New Zealand’s largest working farm, Molesworth Station in inland Marlborough, where many of their hives are based.

"They said, 'we'd better show you what you're getting yourself into,'" Matt explains.

The transition was not without its challenges. Coming into the business during winter meant the couple had to quickly adapt to the scale of the operation and find practical solutions while building their own systems.

The couple say the decision wasn’t without risks, but they saw it as an opportunity.

"It was an opportunity and on good terms," Matt says.

Bad Starts

Like many beekeepers, the Goldsworthys know success is never guaranteed.

"The first season that we take over anything seems to be a bad season," Matt laughs, shaking his head at the same time.

The Kiwi Queens breeding programme is just one of many strings to Goldsworthy Apiaries’ wide range of undertakings, with hives spread across varied landscapes of the top of the South Island, pollination work in both South and North Islands, and contract honey extraction and packing to boot.

"Over the last five years, every time we took something over, the first year was a bad crop. It's a running joke. 'Hey, we're moving into the area, you're going to have a bad season.' But the next seasons that have followed have been much better."

When they took over J Bush & Sons they harvested just 22 tonnes of honey from the renown blue borage area of Molesworth when the expected amount was around twice that.

"We doubled our hive numbers last year, but only made half the amount of honey," Matt says of the poor 2025-26 summer.

For Matt and Sarah, the challenges were part of building something long-term. They continued looking ahead, and soon another opportunity presented itself.

Building a Diversified Business

In December 2024 the couple purchased Mountain Valley Honey in Spring Grove, Tasman – at the same time they welcomed their third child.

With a newborn, a new processing facility and the demands of both beekeeping and family life, the couple found themselves navigating one of their busiest seasons yet. To help fund the purchase, they boldly sold their house and committed fully to the business.

"When Mountain Valley Honey came along, we both thought, 'this is it.'" Sarah says.

"We both saw what it could be."

The couple say Sarah’s parents have played an important role in their journey, encouraging them to think big and offering valuable business advice that has helped shape many of the decisions they have made.

Mountain Valley Honey also created efficiencies by allowing both brands to be extracted and packed from one site. Today, extraction operates for around six months each year, while honey packing continues for around nine months.

Annually, they produce around 100 tonnes of honey, over 2,500 queens, operating approximately 1,500 mating units and 500 nucs, and provide pollination services with around 1,000 hives for apples and 500 hives for kiwifruit. That kiwifruit work extended as far as sending hives across Cook Strait to the Bay of Plenty in 2025, something they will likely do again in 2026.

With 4,000 hives spread from Hokitika to Farewell Spit, including Tasman, Golden Bay, Marlborough and Molesworth, alongside pollination, extraction, packing and raising a young family, many ask, how they manage it all. The answer? – "Teamwork," they both say.

Another round of cells come out of the hives in spring time at Goldsworhty Apiaries.

Balancing Business and Family

With their three children all under the age of six, and the demands of running a large-scale beekeeping operation, Matt and Sarah are intentional about making family time a priority.

"Family time is important, weekends are important, and getting away is important," Matt says.

The couple tag-team parenting and business responsibilities so one parent is always available for the children. Their business has also reached an important milestone.

With seven field staff now employed, Matt and Sarah are spending more time working on the business rather than in it, focusing on systems, planning and developing their team.

"The team is as passionate as us. It's a really cool team. We do some hard days, we have quite a few laughs, but this is what it's all about," Sarah says.

Backing the Industry, and Themselves

Despite the challenges of recent years, Matt believes the outlook for beekeeping is improving, and 2026’s improved honey prices reinforce his view.

"When there's down turns there's also opportunities. The industry is now recovering. It's picked up a bit. Mānuka and pollination have picked up too."

Rather than expanding hive numbers, the couple plan to grow through greater efficiency, increasing exports beyond their current 10% of production, and public extraction plant tours and beekeeping experiences.

“We still want to be family-owned and hands-on. Once you get to a certain size, you're too big, then you're commercial. We have a focus on quality and our customers." Sarah says.

While Matt and Sarah are focused on growing their own business, they are equally committed to supporting the wider beekeeping community. They say they want to see all beekeepers succeed, not just themselves. Matt’s recent appointment to the board of new industry group Honey and Bees New Zealand is evidence of this, and on August 21 they hosted a top of the South beekeepers gathering.

"We wouldn't be here without those around us who support us and we support them,” Matt says.

For Sarah, one of the greatest rewards is producing honey from start to finish.

"I love that we are end-to-end. There are so many brands out there that just buy honey and put it in a jar, but we literally have our handcrafted bees and sell our own honey."

Whether meeting customers at local markets with their observation hive or welcoming school groups into their extraction plant, both enjoy sharing their passion.

"It's not all about making money," they say. "It's doing something you enjoy every day."

After navigating difficult seasons, major investments and the demands of young family life, the Goldsworthys remain optimistic about what lies ahead.

“All industries go through highs and lows, but we always knew it would recover. We just wanted to be in a position where we could make it work,” Matt says, with Sarah expanding on the Goldsworthy Apiaries philosophy, "We aim for progress over perfection; you can't do it perfectly so it's best to keep focusing on what's important and moving forward."