Fireweed Honey produced from native plants in the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains of British Columbia.
We collect this award-winning and delectable Fireweed Honey – known to beekeepers as “the Champagne of Honeys” – from the mountains around our beautiful Creston Valley. On one side of us is the Purcell Mountains, and on the other, the Selkirks. Both ranges abound with this native purple plant, which grows in areas disturbed by fire or logging. When found In large quantities it allows our bees to collect enough nectar to produce an unique, very light, mild, buttery honey. It is so clear that it classifies as “extra water white” in colour, a class highly-regarded by honey enthisiasts.
- In 2024 this honey won First Place in Extra Water White at the American Honey Show, the first time a Canadian honey was given this honor.
- Our signature Kootenay Wildflower Honey comes from alfalfa, clover, snowberry and other plants. But our Fireweed Honey is virtually a monofloral honey. Given where it grows, Fireweed is by default just about the only food available for our honey bees. Sometimes there will be incidental Goldenrod or Creeping Thistle, but these plants are sparse in comparison to the vast acreages of Fireweed.
- In mid-July we truck our hives high up into the mountains and place them where little else grows except our prized Fireweed. This is also bear country, where both the Grizzly and Black Bears roam. So we have to build electrified yards to protect our bees and their crop from Mr. and Mrs. Bruin.
- This honey is notoriously difficult to collect. The weather has to be just right, not too hot and not to cool. The fireweed patch also has to be young. As the area gets older succession trees such as alder and replanted conifers start to take over and claim water resources for their own growth. The season is also short; a typical collection period lasts only a month or six weeks.
- We don’t get Fireweed Honey every year, so be sure to buy it when we have it available!
- How Do You Know This Is Pure Honey?
We rigorously protect the purity of our honey; we regularly send samples in for floral fingerprinting by Canadian honey authentication programs. These programs can identify specific forages and pollens. This process also identifies honeys that have been adulterated with other sugars. We are proud to say our honeys pass with flying colours.
Our pathway to succes as beekeepers is to always remember it is our bees who are our most important employees. In other words, taking care of our bees comes first. That’s the Honey Bee Zen way.
SHIPPING
We can ship to any address within Canada. Note that due to restrictions on some products, we are not shipping outside Canada.
- IN-STORE PICKUP: Free (option available to customers with a billing address located in British Columbia).
- VANCOUVER Flat Rate Shipping: $13.00
- BRITISH COLUMBIA Shipping Rate starting as low as: $18.00
- ALBERTA, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN SShipping Rate starting as low as: $23.21 / Rural Locations: Starting at $25.65
- ONTARIO, QUEBEC Shipping Rate starting as low as: $29.89
Due to fuel shipping surcharges, we are no longer able to ship orders to the following provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.
- When you place an order, we will estimate shipping for you based on the availability of your items, and the shipping option(s) you choose.
- Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
SHIPPING LIMITATIONS & EXCLUSIONS
- We do not ship electrical products outside the province of British Columbia.
- Gourmetwarehouse.ca is unable to ship to some PO boxes, hotels, and a few limited areas.
- We are unable to ship to the territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut).
PURCHASES
- We reserve the right to refuse or cancel your order at any time for certain reasons including but not limited to: product or service availability, errors in the description or price of the product or service, error in your order or other reasons.
- We reserve the right to refuse or cancel your order if fraud or an unauthorized or illegal transaction is suspected.
AVAILABILITY, ERRORS & INACCURACIES
- We are constantly updating our offerings of products and services on the Service. The products or services available on our Service may be mispriced, described inaccurately, or unavailable, and we may experience delays in updating information on the Service and in our advertising on other web sites.
- We cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information, including prices, product images, specifications, availability, and services. We reserve the right to change or update information and to correct errors, inaccuracies, or omissions at any time without prior notice.
CHRISTMAS RETURN POLICY
In Store & Online
- A Receipt or Online Order Number is required for all refunds/exchanges.
- No refunds/exchanges on food items. All clearance items and books are final sale.
- Special orders take at least 6-12 weeks for arrival and 50% deposits are non-refundable.
- Special orders cannot be guaranteed to arrive before christmas day.
- Full refunds/exchanges will be honored if unopened, unused and in original packaging.
- Purchases made between Nov 1 - Dec 24 can be returned/ exchanged until Jan 4 with original receipt or gift receipt - this does not apply to Black Friday/Boxing Week sale items marked "Final Sale".
-There is no warranty on cutting boards. Due to the intimate nature,hygiene products are considered "Final sale".
- Lost or stolen gift cards cannot be re-issued. No refunds/exchanges on gift basket items.
- We check all breakables before they leave the store - once they leave the store they are your responsibility and are non-returnable if broken.
- Items bought for staging purposes will incur a 20% restocking fee upon return.
- Seasonal items cannot be returned/exchanged after Nov 30.
- Items cannot be put on hold without full payment during December
RETURNS POLICY
- An Order Number is required for all refunds and exchanges.
There are no refunds or exchanges on any food items. All clearance items and books are final sale.
Any product returned to The Gourmet Warehouse without prior authorization from The Gourmet Warehouse Online Customer Service will be considered an unauthorized return, and the customer will not receive credit for the product and The Gourmet Warehouse will not ship the product back to you.
- Full returns/exchanges will be honoured if the product is unopened, unused, and in its original packaging with all accessories. Refunds and exchanges must be within 30 days of purchase. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.)
- For items received from an online order that have arrived broken, please send photo documentation of the damages to websales@gourmetwarehouse.ca along with your order number within 24 hours of receipt.
- You should expect to receive your refund once we received and verify the returned order.
- No exchanges will be issued or accepted over 30 days of purchase.
- Gift Cards and E-Gift Certificates are not redeemable for cash, lost or stolen gift cards cannot be re-issued.
- There are no refunds/exchanges on Gift Baskets.
