Many Americans don’t understand that pollinators are responsible for one in three bites of food we eat and their populations are under significant pressure. One partnership aims to change that through education. Honeybear Brands®, a grower, packer, and shipper of top apple varieties, is partnering with the National Honey Board and retailers like Cub to educate consumers at the store level about the need to protect pollinators, specifically honey bees.
The unique alignment between Honeybear Brands and Cub comes to life in-store with displays that raise awareness about the importance of honey bee pollination and help consumers connect the dots between honey bees and apples. In fact, the work that a healthy hive of honey bees does to produce one pound of honey also results in the pollination of 1,000 apples.
The partnership goes one step further -- a portion of Fall in-store proceeds are being used to develop new pollinator habitats. The pollinator habitats will be planted alongside apple orchards on behalf of the retailer with subsequent social programming being shared with consumers of this collaborative partnership.
“Cub jumped at the chance to partner with Honeybear to help solve a serious issue in our agriculture community. Honeybear is a great company and we love working with our partners especially when it comes to creative solutions that support our environment and sustainability,” says Mike Stigers, Chief Executive Officer, Cub.
“We are pleased to partner with Midwest retailer Cub, a grocery chain in Minnesota. The grocer has already pledged to sponsor the development of local acres of pollinator habitat and to showcase the displays during the month of September. Along with the National Honey Board, we will collectively increase awareness of honey bees – which are so critical to the development of our apples. In the busyness of life, we can sometimes forget how fragile the food system can be, so these displays are a great way to remind shoppers about the importance of honey bees and maybe even inspire them to plant their own pollinator gardens,” says Kristi Harris, Brand Manager, Honeybear Brands.
Pollinator populations are under pressure, prompting the need to help honey bee populations thrive for the future of the farming and food industry. This increase in pollinator habitats will have a positive impact on native pollinator abundance and is crucial to the food supply chain.
For more information:
Denise Leach
Tel: +1 (919) 610-1916
Email: [email protected]
www.honeybearbrands.com