Inside this old wooden country house is a truly ‘local’ boutique. So local in fact, that its product — from sourcing through manufacturing to packaging — is all made right here in rural Quebec, Canada. It’s the beautiful countryside flowers, bees and butterflies that truly own and run 3 Acres honey enterprise, but humans Stephen and Liliane take care of the business side of things…He’s always been into beekeeping and set up his first hive when he was 22, while she’s been making her own skin care products since her mum bought her a kids’ lotion-making kit, and together (with the bees) you won’t find more passion for natural beeswax products, anywhere.
Park in front of an old barn outside Stephen and Liliane’s family home, and in the distance you’ll see their hives, dotted around the meadows of their ‘3 acre’ farm in the gentle rolling hills of the Eastern Townships. Apparently a local baker in the nearby town of Dunham houses a few more hives, while friends keep others. Ring the triangle ‘bell’ to make sure someone’s in and proceed down the path in the back garden to find a beautiful old wooden structure, housing the shop.
When you step inside, prepare for the sweet, clean scent of honey to hit you. It’s instant aromatherapy. Products I particularly loved were the handmade honey, grapefruit, cedar (instant Canadian forest) and lavender soaps, beeswax candles, an eczema remedy cream Liliane developed for her daughter (I bought it for mine) and a coffee and honey body scrub, which smells so good I want to eat it. Liliane assures me it’s 100% edible, should I choose to do so.
This is a family-run and family friendly environment, in total harmony with nature and producing a truly ‘green’ and sustainable product, so you’ll find kids beeswax crayons, colouring books and an observation hive outside the shop to watch and learn how the bees work. At the bottom of the garden you’ll even find an ‘outhouse’ that’s as hippie chic as it gets.
A bestie of mine is a Dunham local and introduced me to this truly local ‘unique boutique’ she was certain I’d love, but Montrealers and visitors, it’s worth the drive to the countryside. It’s always a joy to witness people making and selling what they love, with care and passion.
