Success is sweet for honey maker

SCOTT HAMMOND/Marlborough Express

SWEET AS: The Honey Company/Blaycliff Apiaries owner Darren Clifford is proud of the team effort at his two companies, based in Taylor Pass, which won four awards at Friday's Marlborough Business Excellence Awards.

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The Honey Company/Blaycliff Apiaries owner Darren Clifford is buzzing after picking up a number of notable awards at this year's Marlborough Business Excellence Awards.

There was no supreme winner at the event on Friday night, but Mr Clifford's companies were the big winners with four awards: the Marlborough District Council Environmental Award, a silver level of attainment, a certificate of attainment and the Spirit of Excellence award.

Mr Clifford said he was not disappointed to miss out on the top prize because winning did not always guarantee gold, he said.

"Sometimes the company isn't up to that ... and for us there is heaps of room to move."

Mr Clifford and John Blaylock started Blaycliff Apiaries about 11 years ago as a beekeeping operation only.

Five years ago Mr Clifford independently started a processing and marketing business called The Honey Company. He bought out Mr Blaylock's shares in Blaycliff Apiaries two years ago.

The Honey Company processes about 200 tonnes of honey each year, a mixture of manuka, pasture, native bush, honey dew and blue borage honey.

About 90 per cent of the product is exported to the United Kingdom and Europe.

It was the second time the two companies had been entered in the awards, said Mr Clifford. He used the framework for the awards to guide his business.

The changes to recording and planning process had provided "superior" improvement to his businesses over the past two years, he said.

Mr Clifford paid special tribute to his office manager, Lesley Wilson, for the "tremendous effort" she had put in, vastly improving the day-to-day running of the business.

"I'm very happy. It's always a team achievement ... management right through to the day-to-day staff."

He was also pleased to pick up The Marlborough District Council Environmental Award.

The company had worked hard at the "little things" like cutting down travelling and fuel usage, he said.