MEMBER NEWSLETTER
October 2026 Bulletin 122
Message From The CEO By Paul Remillard
As I reflect on my first eight months as CEO, I want to begin by saying thank you. I truly appreciated the warm welcome, the conversations, and the opportunity to learn more about you, your commitment to this industry, and the remarkable mix of art, science, hard work, and experience that goes into running a successful honey operation. I have also spent a great deal of time getting to know the Bee Maid and co-op teams, gaining a better appreciation for what makes these hives buzz. Simply put, it comes down to great people who care deeply about the industry, our members, and the long-term success of Bee Maid Honey. In speaking with many of you, I have come to understand that every season seems to bring its own set of challenges, and this year has certainly been no exception. Across much of the Prairies, Manitoba Cooperative Honey Producers Limited 645 Black Diamond Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R2J 4M7
the late start and wet spring led to crop delays and, in some cases, crop failures. As we enter the wind-down phase of intake, the impact is becoming clearer, and we are seeing regions of significant declines in production across all three provinces. We continue to closely monitor anticipated intake to ensure it aligns with our sales forecast. Despite these results, I continue to be encouraged by the resilience, innovation, and work ethic I see from beekeepers. High fuel costs continue to add financial pressure across our industry. For members, higher costs impact everything from operating equipment to transporting bees, while Bee Maid is experiencing similar pressures across transportation, distribution and operations. These increases affect the entire supply chain and reinforce the importance of managing costs responsibly and finding efficiencies wherever possible. We appreciated the participation and feedback from members who attended the webinars that provided members the rationale and drivers behind this year’s changes the Honey Grade Policy. We hope you found the sessions helpful. Ultimately, our goal is to align supply with market demand while meeting the quality and product specifications our customers require. As our customer requirements evolve, we must continually assess and adapt our operations to remain efficient, competitive, and responsive to changing market needs. I am pleased to say there is a lot of good work happening behind the scenes to grow our sales and help us process and pack more efficiently for (Continued On Next Page) Alberta Honey Producers Co-operative Limited Box 3909, 70 Alberta Avenue, Spruce Grove, AB T7X 3B1
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October Feature Honey Recipe
RECENT NEWS
both today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities. One recent example is the commissioning of Spruce Grove’s new barrel cleaner, which has a shorter cycle time and uses less water than the previous equipment. Of course, the 50% tariffs implemented by the U.S. are another factor impacting us. We are continuing to support our U.S. customers and partners as best we can under the new trade rules. Thankfully, Bee Maid Honey has a long history, a strong foundation, and global reach across both supply chains and customers, all of which will help us navigate this challenge. September brought another challenge with a cybersecurity incident. Our IT team responded quickly, implementing countermeasures that helped limit the impact on our systems. Their ability to detect the threat early, along with the availability of clean, recent backups, played an important role in our recovery efforts. I cannot express enough my appreciation for the dedication, expertise, and countless hours our IT team put into responding to this incident and getting our systems back up and running. Their efforts demonstrated the strength of our team and their commitment to protecting Bee Maid. As far back as I can remember, I recall scooping creamed honey from a Bee Maid Honey tub spreading on my morning toast. It is a real honour to now have the opportunity to lead this decades-old organization; one built through the vision of our co-op boards and strengthened every day by the dedication of its employees, members, and partners. I am grateful for the welcome I have received so far, and I look forward to meeting many more of you this fall and winter at our AGMs.
Baked Pears with Spiced Honey Pecans • 2 Pears (halved and seeded) • 1/3 Cup BeeMaid Honey • 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract • 1 Tsp Cinnamon • 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg • 1/4 Cup Pecans (chopped) • 1/2 Cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt • 1 Pinch of Salt
Dates to Remember Please Note: Bee Maid and the Co-operatives will be closed on the following dates:
Visit BeeMaid.com or Click Here for the Full Recipe!
OBSERVANCES
DATES CLOSED
Remembrance Day
Wednesday Nov.11, 2026
Holiday Closure
Thursday, Dec.24, 2026 to Friday, Jan.1, 2027
Louis Riel Day / Family Day
Monday Feb.15, 2027
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RECENT NEWS
A Lasting Legacy in Production: Honouring Pavel Rusnak After many years of dedication and hard work on Bee Maid’s Alberta production team, Pavel Rusnak is retiring, marking the end of an incredible chapter in our co-operatives' history. Throughout his career, Pavel played an important role in strengthening our production operations, supporting our growth, and helping ensure the success of our beekeeper members. His determination, forwardthinking approach, and commitment to the people behind Bee Maid have left a lasting impact on our organization.
innovative idea of producing our own bottles, it was Pavel who helped turn that vision into reality. As sales demand grew by 50% over the past decade, he helped ensure our Alberta blow moulding operation could keep pace. Starting with aging equipment, Pavel helped guide production into a new era, culminating in the arrival of a modern extrusion blow moulder about a year ago. A major milestone came in 2020, when the team produced more than 10 million bottles in a single year for the first time, an achievement Pavel and his team could take great pride in.
Pavel moved to Canada from Poland in the early 1980s, arriving with very little but bringing an abundance of determination and a strong work ethic. He went on to build a successful business before joining Bee Maid as an additional job, which eventually became his full-time career for more than three decades. For Pavel, failure was never an option, and Bee Maid was fortunate to have his experience and drive guiding our growth. Throughout his 32 years with Bee Maid, Pavel was often a step ahead of the next business challenge. When our Board of Directors explored the
Above all, Pavel's priority was seeing Bee Maid and our beekeeper members succeed. He regularly asked whether our members had received a good return, demonstrating his commitment to the people at the heart of our co-operative. His high standards, forward-thinking approach, and unwavering determination have helped shape our Alberta production team and established a legacy that will continue long after his retirement. We thank Pavel for over 30 years of dedication and the lasting contributions he has made. We wish him all the best in retirement as he enjoys more time with his wife, Nina, and their family.
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RECENT NEWS
2026 Alberta Beekeeper Filming Days Recap In August, members of our Bee Maid marketing team hit the road with Foundation Films for a content filming trip across rural Alberta. Along the way they visited the apiaries of AHPC members Richard Ozero, René Larocque, Réal Dubeau and Kevin Meier. Despite a few days of stormy weather, each stop offered a valuable opportunity to learn more about the people behind our co-operative, explore what makes each operation unique, and capture footage of the day-to-day work that goes into Canadian honey production. From spending time on-site to hearing firsthand about each beekeeper’s industry experiences, the visits brought new depth to the stories we share with our customers.
The roadtrip also provided an opportunity to capture additional content highlighting our Bee Maid Bee Supplies store in Spruce Grove and the resources available to support beekeepers. A huge thank you to Richard, René, Real and Kevin, along with their families and apiary staff, for welcoming our team and accommodating the visits during the busy summer season. The first batch of these new beekeeper profiles are now live, with more stories coming to our social media channels in the months ahead.
These content filming days are part of our continued investment in digital storytelling that brings our cooperative to life on social media and our website. Our beekeeper profiles consistently resonate with followers because they offer an authentic look behind the brand, helping audiences connect with the people, places and BeeMaid Honey they enjoy in their own kitchens.
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RELEVANT MEMBER INFO
Member Portal Updates & Important Reminders As we prepare for the launch of the new Member Portal on January 15, 2027, we would like to remind members of the following: • New Member Onboarding - Please note that we will be unable to onboard new members until the new Member Portal launches on January 15, 2027. • Year End Statements - Year-end statements will be mailed as part of our usual process.
• Monthly Statements - Monthly statements are not available through the current Member Portal. If you require a copy of monthly statements, please contact Marg Waddell (margwaddell@beemaid. com) for MCHP statements or Dori Boland for AHPC statements (dboland@beemaid.com). They will arrange to have it emailed to you. We appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing further updates with you as the portal launch date approaches.
Help Shape the Future of Your Co-op! Board Member Applications Now Open Serving on the Board is an opportunity to contribute to the strength and future direction of your Co-operative while gaining valuable leadership and governance experience. Additional information about the role, eligibility requirements, and nomination process will be shared with members soon. Members thinking about joining the Board of Directors are encouraged to take the free Good Governance Matters course before being nominated. Those elected who haven’t yet taken the course will be expected to complete it within the first four weeks of their term. (Access The Course Here).
Ready to Get Involved? If you are considering putting your name forward or would like to learn more about serving on the Board, please contact a member from your respective Co-operative's Nominating Committee.
AHPC Nominating Committee: Micheal Yaremcio 1-780-603-4594 myaremcio@beemaid.com
MCHP Nominating Committee: Eckhard Rinsdorf 1-204-281-1241 erinsdorf@beemaid.com
Paul Christensen 1-780-293-0490 pchristensen@beemaid.com
Joe Edwards 1-306-873-1463 jedwards@beemaid.com
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86th Annual Meeting The 86th Annual Meeting will be held at the River Cree Hotel on Thursday November 12, 2026. Registration is at 8:30 am and call to order is at 9:00 am. Please call the hotel directly for room reservations. Please note we do not qualify to hold a block of guestrooms. The information package for the 86th Annual Meeting (Notice of Meeting, 2026 Agenda, 2025 AGM Minutes) was emailed to Members on October 13, 2026. Please check your email to ensure you receive the information. If you have not received this email, please advise the office, 780-962-5573 (zero for reception) or email ahp@beemaid.com.
2026 Final Payment The final payment for the 2025-26 crop year will be posted to Members' accounts on Friday, November 13, 2026.
Advanced Payment Program (APP) If you have not already done so, please return your completed Application and Repayment Agreement (APP) forms as soon as possible to dboland@beemaid. com.
Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT Requests) Member EFTs are processed biweekly on Tuesday and Thursday. If you wish to participate in this service, please forward a VOID cheque to dboland@beemaid.com.
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88th Annual General Meeting The 88th Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, 1808 Wellington Avenue. Further details will follow in upcoming emails. Reservations: Victoria Inn Hotel Reservation Desk or call (204) 786-4801.
2026 Final Payment
Advanced Payments Programs (APP)
The final payment for the 2025-26 crop year will be posted to Members’ accounts on Friday, November 13, 2026.
If you have not already done so, please return your completed Advance Payments Application form as soon as possible to Tracie Thompson (tthompson@beemaid.com).
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Bee Maid Bee Supplies: Featured Products
Pep'up by Oligofeed
Apipasta Vitamins
Apis Tactical Gear
Pep’up is a precision feeding supplement designed to help honeybee colonies better withstand environmental stressors. Its active ingredient, molybdenum, is an essential micronutrient naturally found in honeybees.
Apipasta is a ready-to-use nutritional supplement that provides bees with essential vitamins and amino acids to support hive strength and productivity. Its easy-to-consume formula helps bees withstand cooler conditions and pesticide exposure.
This jacket combines advanced 3-layer ventilation with enhanced bee protection for hobbyists and professional beekeepers alike. Featuring a secure beeblock design, it delivers comfort, protection in the field.
Shop Pep'up Products
Shop Apipasta
Shop Apis Tactical
Visit Our Booth at These Beekeeper Tradeshows & AGMs Across Canada: DATE
ASSOCIATION
LOCATION
Oct. 24-25, 2026
BCHPA
Nanaimo, BC
Nov. 16-18, 2026
ABC
Edmonton, AB
Nov. 19-21, 2026
SBDC
Saskatoon, SK
Nov. 26-28, 2026
OBA
Barrie, ON
Mar. 5-6, 2027
MBA
Winnipeg, MB
Built for reliability and ease of use, it helps to streamline the bottling process by delivering consistent fill volumes, reducing waste, and improving overall production efficiency. Get More Info
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