Beekeeper Christine Marshall wins acclaim as Armagh’s first ‘Global Honey Star’

Global Honey Star Christine Marshall of Marshall Beekeeping in Markethill in Co Armagh

Marshall Beekeeping, a small business owned and run by Christine Marshall, 30, in Markethill, won a gold medal and the Honey Star designation in the International Honey Awards, a prestigious competition which drew entrants from across the globe.

Christine, who started the business in 2019 on the family dairy farm, was understandably delighted to have won international acclaim for her honey at the event. “It’s marvellous recognition and endorsement of the quality and taste of my honey,” she says.

“What the competition does is to inform honey-growers, honey producers, beekeepers, processors, and retailers, who distribute their standardized products legally, to preserve and ameliorate the quality of their branded products by promoting the highest quality of honey products,” she adds.

International award-winner from Marshall’s Beekeeping

A panel of expert judges sampled hundreds of different honeys from producers in the Alps and countries such as Turkey, Cambodia, Greece, Britain and New Zealand.

Christine bought her first two hives in June of 2019 and has continued to grow hive numbers with the goal of growing sustainably over the coming years. Her aim is to become Northern Ireland’s largest honey provider, making local honey and beeswax products available to all. She also has hives at Tandragee and Newtownhamilton in her developing network of over 50.

She also produces flavoured and hot honeys, the latter featuring chilli.

In 2022, she started selling beeswax candles, honey-infused chocolates, honey tablet and fudge to a network of local shops, food markets and other producers such as Dolci Delizie chocolates in Banbridge and Granny Shaw’s Fudge in Ballymena.

She is keen to collaborate with other artisan producers. Christine’s honey, for instance, is used in Symphonia Gin liqueur in Pomeroy.

It’s no secret that food here is second to none, with some of the best local produce, including honey, a nutrient-packed superfood with far-reaching benefits.