On May 20th, the world celebrates World Bee Day, recognising the vital role bees play in our ecosystems and food production.

At BerryWorld, we are constantly looking at ways to minimise our impact on the planet and, for World Bee Day, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the work we have been doing around bees and biodiversity.

A huge impact from the humble bee

Bees are nature's pollinators, crucial for the reproduction of berry plants. Our berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries rely heavily on bees for pollination. Bees transfer pollen from the male parts of flowers to the female parts, enabling fertilisation and the development of bee-utiful berries.

Bees not only benefit berry production but also contribute to biodiversity and ecological balance. As they move from flower to flower, bees inadvertently cross-pollinate other plants, supporting a rich diversity of plant and animal life, and sustaining ecosystems.

However, bees face challenges including habitat loss, climate change and diseases. This decline in bee populations threatens the environment, berry farming, and global food security

Making it our bees-ness

To address these challenges, we prioritise sustainable farming and conservation efforts. Working with our growers to implement practices like integrated pest management to minimising pesticide use, planting of trees and hedges, and incorporating wildflowers into the fruit fields to encourage insect and bee population. We also collaborate with beekeepers to open up more farms for beehives and support organisations dedicated to bee conservation.

We are currently sponsoring two PhD students researching different aspects of bee sustainability.

“Bees are such an important part of our business and for the wider ecosystem, so we felt it was right to invest in this research. The objective of these studies is to assess the behaviour and health of bees within soft fruit crops, whilst finding solutions to support bees on the farm all year round” says Emma Henry, Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager at BerryWorld.

World Bee Day is another supporting step on our journey to make a positive change to our planet. We’ve always been a farm-to-fork business, so sustainability is inherently part of our way of working. Today, and everyday, we’re making strides towards a sustainable approach to growing the berry world that's rooted in goodness.