Tugwell Creek Honey Farm & Meadery

Tugwell Creek Honey Farm & Meadery

An hour’s drive along Highway 14—ranging from Langford’s lush fir and spruce trees to Sooke’s cannabis shops and bakeries—brings us to Tugwell Creek Honey Farm & Meadery. It’s picturesquely surrounded by beehives, cider apple trees, geese and sheep.

Overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Otter Point, Western Canada’s first meadery, founded in 2003, is the home of co-proprietors Bob Liptrot and Dana LeComte. They recount the legend of how they embraced this ancient fermented honey beverage, distinct from but often categorized with cider.

Liptrot, who teaches beekeeping at Royal Roads University, explains: “I've been making mead for over 40 years now. I thought if we’re going to live out here on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, there’s got to be something better than the commute to Victoria. I decided to keep it small and value-added.”

“People make lots of conscious decisions around food and beverages on Vancouver Island.,” Dana adds. “We use our business as a platform for educating people about bees and ecology.”