From the Editor: Before I moved to Ohio for this position, I lived for a time in Connecticut. My background was in horticulture, and there was a job opening just down the road at White Flower Farm, certainly a Mecca for anyone in the field of producing ornamentals. It was a seasonal position, and lasted only several months, but I applied for the job, and was hired by Eliot Wadsworth, who was then the guy in charge. He also had, If I recall, a hand in producing the magazine HORTICULTURE, which was required reading for anyone trying to get ahead in this field. I got to build green houses, raise all manner of perennials, spring bedding plants, and potted ornamentals, plant bulbs….it was the job of a lifetime and I still brag to those who know about such things that I used to work there.
Eliot is still there, but his son is mostly in charge now, so he has some time, and since he used to keep bees, he looked at that again. He hooked up with Dan Conlon, President of The Russian Bee Breeders Association and they got started with that part of the program. Now, Eliot is looking for someone to make this work as the Beekeeper. The job description is below. The location is incredible, and, in my opinion, the opportunity is a dream. If I was 40 years younger, I’d be standing in the line.
Mission
We’d like to establish a first-class commercial apiary whose primary product would be northern produced bees, preferably tied in to the Russian strains, and present these bees in combination with pollinator plants plus excellent information and service in a form similar to what we do with ornamental plants. This offering would exist as a department within the existing business of White Flower Farm and would be located in Morris, CT.
We anticipate developing product lines in honey and beekeeper supplies (we have marketing and distribution capability for both already in place) AFTER we have established our ability to produce first class bees and service.
Our launch platform includes land, office and lab space, temperature-controlled winter storage space, plus all the administration and logistics (finance, marketing, customer service, shipping) we’ve built for the farm.
The Job
We are seeking a skilled and seasoned beekeeper, preferably with experience in the northeast, to manage the production and breeding portions of the operation and blend the production with existing capacity in the areas noted above. Because this is a start-up operation, the ideal candidate would play an active role in developing our facilities to support the mission.
Our position offers a salary plus health insurance, an attractive private residence on property, and a vehicle for business use. Interested parties please contact Eliot Wadsworth via email at Ewadsworth@whiteflowerfarm.com.
