Creston beekeeper and co-owner of Honey Bee Zen Apiaries and Swan Valley Honey, Jeff Lee, has been recognized for his work and humanitarian efforts by winning the Leadership Award at the 2024 BC Food & Beverage Rise Awards.
Lee was presented with the award on Thursday, November 28, at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster.
Lee co-owns the largest producers of honey in the Kootenays with his wife Amanda Goodman Lee, was singled out for his tireless work and invaluable contributions to the BC honey and food industries, and for helping five Ukrainian families move to safety in Canada as a result of the war within their country.
“I am both honoured and humbled by this recognition,” said Lee.
“BC is a Canadian hotbed for entrepreneurial food producers and processors, and the BC Food & Beverage Rise Awards helps showcase that talent.”
“I believe firmly in helping others within our food sector and as an immigrant myself to Canada, helping settle the Ukrainian families into the Creston Valley was the right thing to do. Canada has been very generous to us, and I wanted the families to also experience my country’s generosity.”
Lee was nominated not only for his support for resettling Ukrainian workers, almost all of whom work in the honey or grocery business, but also for his many years of support and service within the BC’s honey industry.
He is a long-time executive member of the BC Honey Producers Association, BC director of the Canadian Honey Council, and chairman of Fields Forward, a Creston-based society that runs the Kootenay Farms Food Hub and assists farmers and food producers in southeast BC get value-added products to market.
The Lee’s company is active in supporting BC’s honey industry and elevating honey as a food source, leading the way in developing innovative high-quality products.
In this category, BCFB celebrates a seasoned leader who inspires, mentors, and promotes diversity while embodying integrity and respect.
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