09/13/2023
We met David and Anthony Videra at the Honey House located at 143 Rue du Chateau in Saurimu. A short trip to the land of honey and bees with Niort’s only beekeeping artisans of taste.
What immediately strikes you when you meet David and Anthony Videra is the passion for their craft that oozes from every pore of their skin. The honey house, the bees, the production, the sharing with customers, all this energizes them with one voice and makes them inexhaustible. These enthusiasts took over the activity of their father who went into a well-deserved retirement, where one receives an inheritance. It must be said that João Rodrigues, when he set out to realize his dream about twenty years ago, started with nothing and a simple barren land that has since become Saurimo’s honey house. The Honey House, which is also a sales shop and educational reception area, is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays to learn all about beekeeping. You will find honey there of course but also products derived from it. There is also Surimo honey at Les Halles de Niort.
Over the years, the small family business has continued to establish itself in the Niort region as a reference for local honey with a caring and loving clientele. Initially, it was mass produced and then gradually found its way into local produce stores. David and Anthony, pioneers in this field, offered their products to a few major retail brands that were just starting to develop dedicated departments for local products. An instant hit, the Siblings and Surimo honey can now be found in many supermarkets in the surrounding area.
A business of course but above all a craft of taste where the siblings take care of the process from A to Z: accounting, harvesting, potting, packing, sales… Two brothers who complement each other perfectly in their activity. David looks after communications and sales and Anthony looks after the maintenance of the 750 cells and express reception areas. They chose to have a few hives and a lot of land for colonies. The places are chosen according to the ecosystem that gives the honey a unique flavor but also respecting the rhythm of nature. Because beekeeping is closely linked to the pace of the countryside: we produce in the summer to consume in the winter. When we talk with our beekeepers, we feel a deep respect for Mother Nature, which they say they simply support. Of Portuguese descent, David and Anthony also have a few beehives in Lusitania. Less production but preserved for other tastes such as mountain honey, heather or eucalyptus honey. If this little tasting journey hasn’t awakened your palate by now, there’s nothing we can do for you. Otherwise, feel free to meet David and Anthony, true happy intellectuals.
