There are currently only about 12 meaderies in full operation across the province of BC, and Kamloops is about to open a second one. Farm-owner Kenton Moore said he is planning to start the construction of Bone Hill Meadery in McLure in the next few weeks.

“We believe the mead industry is riding in on the coattails of the craft beer industry,” Moore said. “Mead is to wine what craft beer is to the beer lovers. People want an experience, locally-sourced ingredients and holistic products. Craft mead is a culture more than a commercial thing.”

The second location for the meadery is located on the South Thompson River in Kamloops, in the area of Lion’s Head. Owners Bernita Wienhold-Leahy and Leroy Harder plan to produce at least 4,500 litres of mead annually.

Moore’s fourth generation farm currently has 20 hives scattered throughout the Thompson valley with a goal of increasing to at least 50 hives in the next year or two.

The family sells several varieties of honey, along with other products made from their honey and wax, through their company called Wiley’s Buzz Farm. To date, Moore has made gallons of mead of 14 different varieties.

“COVID came along and I was in isolation with gallons of honey,” Moore said. “I had studied about mead so I knew what it was. Every culture around the world has made some kind of mead. I ordered equipment and books and made a connection with an expert mead maker.”

“It is so innovative,” he said. “Once you start down the path of learning mead it’s fun, and archeologically speaking, it’s like modernizing very old recipes. Our hives produce completely different honeys, some are citric and these properties come through in the mead.

“We prefer drier wines, meads are generally sweet. We bring down the sweetness and bring up the complex flavours, like pear and rose. Our favourite fruit to add is the haskap berry that grows here and tastes like a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry.”

 “We want to support local industry and local farms,” he said. “There is so much potential in the Thompson valley for these kinds of family businesses.”

Photo courtesy of Kenton Moore