--- title: "About Us" date: 2026-07-17 published: 2020-10-22 author: "alexander" --- # About Us Our Story # Six Generations. *One Unbreakable Standard.* From the acacia forests of Transylvania to the Yorkshire Moorlands and the tables of people who refuse to compromise on what they eat. > “Exceptional honey is never rushed, never heated, and never compromised. That is the only principle my grandfather ever taught me that needed no explanation.” Dragos Nistor, Founder, HoneyBee & Co. ![Dragos Nistor, Founder of HoneyBee and Co., at the Natural History Museum London](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Dragos-Nistor-Founder-at-HoneyBee-Co.-.jpg "About Us 1") ![Dragos Nistor tending the family beehives in Transylvania, Romania](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/WhatsApp-Image-2022-05-26-at-7.00.02-PM-768x1024.jpeg "About Us 2") ![Dragos Nistor inspecting frames at the family apiaries in Transylvania](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/3C159EE0-5F05-4B14-862F-BC05B8DFED2B-683x1024.jpeg "About Us 3") The Person Behind Every Jar ## A Family Legacy *Born in Transylvania.* I grew up in the Transylvanian countryside, watching my father Nistor Fanel and my grandfather Nistor Grigore move through the hives with a patience and certainty that only comes from a lifetime of practice. Beekeeping was never a business in our family. It was something more fundamental than that. I founded HoneyBee & Co. with one principle borrowed directly from my grandfather: **sell only what you would be proud to put on your own table.** Raw, single-origin, never blended, and never heat-treated. That has not changed since our first jar. Today, those same family apiaries in Transylvania still produce our Acacia, Sunflower, and Linden honeys. Our British honeys come from trusted independent beekeepers in the Yorkshire Moorlands and the English Midlands, selected by the same standards my family has applied for six generations. Dragos Nistor Founder, HoneyBee & Co. 6+ Generations Beekeeping 3× Vogue Hot List Summer Issues 4.9★ Google Reviews 53 Reviews SALSA Certified British Supplier NHS 15% Lifetime Discount Our History ## A Story Told *Across Generations.* The Nistor family has been tending hives in the Transylvanian countryside for over six generations. This is their story and ours. Early 1960s ### Where It All Began Four generations of the Nistor family, gathered in the Transylvanian countryside. Long before HoneyBee & Co. existed, the values that would define it were already being lived and passed down. The faces change across the decades. The values do not. ![Four generations of the Nistor beekeeping family in Transylvania, Romania, early 1960s](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Nistor-family-Transylvania-four-generations.jpg.jpeg "About Us 4") Four generations of the Nistor family, Transylvania, early 1960s ![The Nistor family enjoying a summer day in Transylvania, 1978](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/About-1-2-1024x804.jpeg "About Us 5") The Nistor family, Transylvania, 1978 1978 ### The Foundation Years The Nistor family in Transylvania. Three generations already working the land, the hives, and the seasons together. The same landscape. The same principles. The same honey. ![Nistor Grigore with the family beehives in Transylvania, 1996](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/about-3-2-1024x495.jpeg "About Us 6") Nistor Grigore with the family hives, 1996 1996 ### Nistor Grigore at the Hives Grandfather Nistor Grigore. The man who set the standard. His approach to beekeeping was inseparable from his character: patient, principled, and deeply respectful of the bees. He took only what the colony could spare. 1998 ### Decades of Stewardship The hives are maintained through winter and summer, drought and flood, across decades. The honey that comes from this kind of long-term commitment to a landscape tastes different. It carries the character of the place. ![Nistor Grigore with the family beehives in Transylvania, 1998](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/About-2-1024x576.jpg "About Us 7") Nistor Grigore with the family hives, 1998 ![Nistor Grigore, Nistor Fanel, and Dragos Nistor together at the family apiaries in Transylvania, 2018](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Nistor-Fanel-Nistor-Grigore-and-Nistor-Dragos.jpg "About Us 8") Nistor Grigore, Nistor Fanel & Dragos Nistor, 2018 2018 ### Three Generations, One Frame Nistor Grigore, Nistor Fanel, and Dragos Nistor. Three generations of the same family, photographed together at the hives that started everything. This photograph sits at the heart of everything HoneyBee & Co. is. 2020 ### HoneyBee & Co. Is Founded Dragos Nistor brings the family legacy to the UK. HoneyBee & Co. is established with a single promise: raw, traceable, single-origin honey from beekeepers who share the values built across six generations in Transylvania. ![HoneyBee and Co. family apiaries in Transylvania, summer 2020](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/beehive2-1024x780.jpg "About Us 9") The family apiaries, summer 2020 ![HoneyBee and Co. family apiaries in Transylvania through winter, 2020](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/winter-hives-1024x575.jpg "About Us 10") The hives through winter, 2020 2020 onwards ### Through Every Season The hives are tended through every season, including the ones where nothing is harvested. Bees come first. That principle, taught to Dragos by his grandfather Nistor Grigore, is the non-negotiable foundation of every decision we make. 2021 ### The Family Behind the Brand Velena Nikolova, Dragos’s wife, at the family apiaries in Transylvania. Behind every jar of HoneyBee & Co. honey is a family that has given everything to make it what it is. Velena manages our online operations and brings the same care to every customer interaction that the family brings to every hive. ![Velena Nikolova at the family beehives in Transylvania, 2021](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/WhatsApp-Image-2022-05-26-at-6.58.45-PM.jpeg "About Us 11") Velena Nikolova, Transylvania, 2021 ![Nistor Fanel and Dragos Nistor at the family beehives in Transylvania, 2022](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/A217CC35-C1BC-407B-B350-B12622251907-1536x2048.jpeg "About Us 12") Nistor Fanel & Dragos Nistor, Transylvania, 2022 2022 ### Father and Son at the Hives Nistor Fanel and Dragos Nistor at the family apiaries in Transylvania. Two generations working the same hives their family has tended for over a century. The knowledge passed from father to son is not written down. It is lived, season by season, frame by frame. 2022 ### The Whole Family Together Nistor Fanel and Velena Nikolova among the family hives in Transylvania. The same land, the same bees, the same extraordinary honey that has been produced here across generations. That continuity is what makes HoneyBee & Co. different from any brand built in a boardroom. ![Nistor Fanel and Velena Nikolova at the family beehives in Transylvania, 2022](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/89DDC0BB-6DDF-4727-804B-B01404BB8DEA-1536x2048.jpeg "About Us 13") Nistor Fanel & Velena Nikolova, Transylvania, 2022 In Loving Memory, 2023 ![Nistor Fanel, Nistor Grigore and Dragos Nistor together at the family table in Transylvania](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Nistor-Fanel-Nistor-Grigore-and-Nistor-Dragos.jpg "About Us 14")Nistor Fanel, Nistor Grigore and Dragos Nistor. Three generations. “Nu vorbi prea tare ca te inteapa.” Don’t speak too loudly or the bees will sting you. “Nu te baga in fata stupului.” Don’t stand in front of the hive. “Nu deranja o albina lucratoare.” Never disturb a working bee. And when the colony grew restless, he would say the drones are thrown out in winter because they eat without contributing, a lesson about work that needed no translation. He taught us that you earn the trust of bees the same way you earn the trust of anyone: by showing up, quietly, every day, until they know your scent. In summer, we would lay a blanket in the orchard and sleep among the hives so the bees would learn us across generations. That patience, that respect, is what HoneyBee & Co. was built on. He also used to say that during the war, honey and bread would keep you going. He knew the value of what the bees made. He never let us forget it. Nistor Grigore, Patriarch, Beekeeper, Teacher 1936 – 2023 What We Stand For ## Three Principles. *No Exceptions.* HoneyBee & Co. was built on a set of principles borrowed from six generations of beekeeping. They are not marketing language. They are operating rules. 01 Raw. Always. Every honey we sell is cold-extracted and unpasteurised. We never heat our honey above hive temperature. The natural enzymes, pollen, propolis, and antioxidants remain exactly as the bees produced them. There are no exceptions to this rule. 02 Single Origin. Traceable. Every jar contains honey from one named floral source and one named geographic region. We never blend varieties or mix harvests. Every jar carries a GS1 barcode so you can verify the country and region of origin yourself. 03 Bees Before Yield. We harvest only what the colony can spare. Every beekeeper we partner with is selected on this basis. Our British honey supplier is independently SALSA certified for food safety and quality. Ethical relationships with producers who share our founding values, not merely our price point. Recognition ## The Work *Speaks for Itself.* We did not set out to collect accolades. These are simply what happens when you refuse to compromise. Summer 2024 Vogue Hot List: Three Consecutive Editions, Summer 2024 Featured on the Vogue Hot List across three consecutive summer issues. The most-read fashion and lifestyle publication in the world chose HoneyBee & Co. as a standout product recommendation. Three times in a row. Food Safety Standard SALSA Certified British Supplier Our British honey supplier holds SALSA Certification (Safe and Local Supplier Approval), a nationally recognised food safety standard overseen by the Institute of Food Science and Technology. It means every jar of our British honey meets rigorous, independently audited food safety requirements. Google Reviews 4.9 Stars, 53 Reviews Every review is genuine and unprompted. No incentivised reviews, no review-gating. 4.9 stars from customers who buy again. The best measure of whether what we do is actually working. ![HoneyBee and Co. featured on the Vogue Hot List, June 2024 issue](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vogue-June-2024-cover-600x814.jpg "About Us 15") As Seen In ### Vogue Hot List. *Three Consecutive Summer Issues.* Vogue’s Hot List is one of the most competitive product edits in publishing. It is not bought. It is earned. HoneyBee & Co. has been included across three consecutive summer issues, in recognition of our quality, story, and commitment to doing things properly. We are proud of it and we do not take it for granted. Giving Back ## Every Year, *We Go Back.* Dragos studied at the **University of Greenwich**, where the enterprise challenge programme gave him the framework and the confidence to turn a family beekeeping legacy into a business. He has never forgotten that. Every year, Dragos returns to Greenwich as a guest speaker and mentor, sharing the HoneyBee & Co. story with the next generation of student entrepreneurs. The same questions he had at the beginning. The same fears. The same uncertainty about whether a product built on genuine values could actually compete. The answer, it turns out, is yes. And part of our responsibility is making sure the next person in that room knows it. [Read our University of Greenwich feature ↗](https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/bus/dragos-razvan-nistor-and-honeybee-and-co-1-year-after-the-enterprise-challenge)> “The University of Greenwich taught me that a business built on something real has an advantage that no amount of marketing spend can replicate. HoneyBee & Co. was built on six generations of beekeeping. That is not a story we invented. It is a story we inherited. And we have a responsibility to honour it.” Dragos NistorFounder, HoneyBee & Co., University of Greenwich alumnus Our Partners ## Built on *Shared Values.* We partner with organisations that stand for something. Every partnership reflects a set of values we share, not simply a commercial arrangement. ![London Pulse Netball Team, HoneyBee and Co. official partner](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LONDON-PULSE-TEAM.jpg "About Us 16") Official Partner ### London Pulse Netball Team Partners in the Netball Superleague. A partnership built on shared values of teamwork, determination, and commitment to excellence. London Pulse represents the best of women’s sport in the UK. [View partnership →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/partnerships/london-pulse-netball/)Blue Light Card Official Partner Emergency Services & NHS ### Blue Light Card Partnership We proudly support the UK’s emergency services, NHS, social care sector, and armed forces. Blue Light Card holders receive a dedicated discount on all HoneyBee & Co. products. Because the people who show up for others deserve to be looked after. [View partnership →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/partnerships/blue-light-card/) [View all partnerships →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/partnerships/) NHS Staff ### 15% Lifetime Discount Register with your NHS email address and receive 15% off every order for life. Our commitment to NHS staff is permanent, not promotional. [Learn more →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/partnerships/nhs/) Blue Light Card ### Discount for Emergency Services Blue Light Card holders receive a dedicated discount on all HoneyBee & Co. products. Because the people who show up for others deserve to be looked after. [Learn more →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/partnerships/blue-light-card/) Subscribe & Save ### 20% Off Every Delivery Subscribe to any honey variety and save 20% on every order. Change frequency or cancel at any time. Free UK delivery on 3 or more jars applies to all subscription orders. [View subscriptions →](https://honeybeeandco.uk/honey-subscription/) ## Taste the *Difference.* Six generations of beekeeping in every jar. Raw, single-origin, and traceable. Free UK delivery on 3 or more jars. [Shop the Collection](https://honeybeeandco.uk/shop/) [Get in Touch](https://honeybeeandco.uk/contact/) Our History ## A Story Told *Across Generations.* The Nistor family has been tending hives in the Transylvanian countryside for over six generations. This is their story and ours. Early 1960s ### Where It All Began Four generations of the Nistor family, gathered in the Transylvanian countryside. Long before HoneyBee & Co. existed, the values that would define it were already being lived and passed down. The faces change across the decades. The values do not. ![Four generations of the Nistor beekeeping family in Transylvania, Romania, early 1960s](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Nistor-family-Transylvania-four-generations.jpg.jpeg "About Us 17") Four generations of the Nistor family, Transylvania, early 1960s ![The Nistor family enjoying a summer day in Transylvania, 1978](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/About-1-2-1024x804.jpeg "About Us 18") The Nistor family, Transylvania, 1978 1978 ### The Foundation Years The Nistor family in Transylvania. Three generations already working the land, the hives, and the seasons together. The same landscape. The same principles. The same honey. ![Nistor Grigore with the family beehives in Transylvania, 1996](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/about-3-2-1024x495.jpeg "About Us 19") Nistor Grigore with the family hives, 1996 1996 ### Nistor Grigore at the Hives Grandfather Nistor Grigore. The man who set the standard. His approach to beekeeping was inseparable from his character: patient, principled, and deeply respectful of the bees. He took only what the colony could spare. 1998 ### Decades of Stewardship The hives are maintained through winter and summer, drought and flood, across decades. The honey that comes from this kind of long-term commitment to a landscape tastes different. It carries the character of the place. ![Nistor Grigore with the family beehives in Transylvania, 1998](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/About-2-1024x576.jpeg "About Us 20") Nistor Grigore with the family hives, 1998 ![Nistor Grigore, Nistor Fanel, and Dragos Nistor together at the family apiaries in Transylvania, 2018](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Nistor-Fanel-Nistor-Grigore-and-Nistor-Dragos.jpg "About Us 21") Nistor Grigore, Nistor Fanel & Dragos Nistor, 2018 2018 ### Three Generations, One Frame Nistor Grigore, Nistor Fanel, and Dragos Nistor. Three generations of the same family, photographed together at the hives that started everything. This photograph sits at the heart of everything HoneyBee & Co. is. 2020 ### HoneyBee & Co. Is Founded Dragos Nistor brings the family legacy to the UK. HoneyBee & Co. is established with a single promise: raw, traceable, single-origin honey from beekeepers who share the values built across six generations in Transylvania. ![HoneyBee and Co. family apiaries in Transylvania, summer 2020](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/beehive2-1024x780.jpg "About Us 22") The family apiaries, summer 2020 ![HoneyBee and Co. family apiaries in Transylvania through winter, 2020](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/winter-hives-1024x575.jpg "About Us 23") The hives through winter, 2020 2020 onwards ### Through Every Season The hives are tended through every season, including the ones where nothing is harvested. Bees come first. That principle, taught to Dragos by his grandfather Nistor Grigore, is the non-negotiable foundation of every decision we make. 2021 ### The Family Behind the Brand Velena Nikolova, Dragos’s wife, at the family apiaries in Transylvania. Behind every jar of HoneyBee & Co. honey is a family that has given everything to make it what it is. Velena manages our online operations and brings the same care to every customer interaction that the family brings to every hive. ![Velena Nikolova at the family beehives in Transylvania, 2021](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/WhatsApp-Image-2022-05-26-at-6.58.45-PM.jpeg "About Us 24") Velena Nikolova, Transylvania, 2021 ![Nistor Fanel and Dragos Nistor at the family beehives in Transylvania, 2022](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/A217CC35-C1BC-407B-B350-B12622251907-1536x2048.jpeg "About Us 25") Nistor Fanel & Dragos Nistor, Transylvania, 2022 2022 ### Father and Son at the Hives Nistor Fanel and Dragos Nistor at the family apiaries in Transylvania. Two generations working the same hives their family has tended for over a century. The knowledge passed from father to son is not written down. It is lived, season by season, frame by frame. 2022 ### The Whole Family Together Nistor Fanel and Velena Nikolova among the family hives in Transylvania. The same land, the same bees, the same extraordinary honey that has been produced here across generations. That continuity is what makes HoneyBee & Co. different from any brand built in a boardroom. ![Nistor Fanel and Velena Nikolova at the family beehives in Transylvania, 2022](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/89DDC0BB-6DDF-4727-804B-B01404BB8DEA-1536x2048.jpeg "About Us 26") Nistor Fanel & Velena Nikolova, Transylvania, 2022 ✞ In Loving Memory — 2023 ![Nistor Fanel, Nistor Grigore and Dragos Nistor together at the family table in Transylvania](https://honeybeeandco.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Nistor-Fanel-Nistor-Grigore-and-Nistor-Dragos.jpg "About Us 27")Nistor Fanel, Nistor Grigore and Dragos Nistor. Three generations. “Nu vorbi prea tare ca te inteapa.” Don’t speak too loudly or the bees will sting you. “Nu te baga in fata stupului.” Don’t stand in front of the hive. “Nu deranja o albina lucratoare.” Never disturb a working bee. And when the colony grew restless, he would say the drones are thrown out in winter because they eat without contributing – a lesson about work that needed no translation. He taught us that you earn the trust of bees the same way you earn the trust of anyone: by showing up, quietly, every day, until they know your scent. In summer, we would lay a blanket in the orchard and sleep among the hives so the bees would learn us across generations. That patience, that respect, is what HoneyBee & Co. was built on. He also used to say that during the war, honey and bread would keep you going. He knew the value of what the bees made. He never let us forget it. Nistor Grigore — Patriarch, Beekeeper, Teacher 1936 – 2023