Sustainability, Bees and the Hot Honey Boom

What happens when a chef discovers a food trend in New York years before anyone in the UK has heard of it?

This week on Food Rebels, AJ Sharp meets Dan Shearman, founder of Wilderbee, the brand behind the UK’s original hot honey. What started as a homemade chilli-infused honey for a food truck menu has grown into a fast-rising food brand stocked in major retailers including Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Whole Foods, Co-op and now Waitrose.

Dan shares the story behind the business, from feeding Harrison Ford on a film set and cooking for the Crown Prince of Dubai, to appearing on Dragon’s Den and pioneering a category that is now exploding in popularity across the UK.

The conversation explores flavour innovation, ethical beekeeping, sustainable sourcing, scaling a food business and why Dan believes hot honey still has a long way to go before it becomes a kitchen cupboard staple.

Plus, AJ gets stuck into a tasting of Wilderbee’s Scotch Bonnet, Gochujang and Sriracha hot honeys and discovers why people are putting them on everything from pizza and cheese to cocktails and ice cream.