At age 15, he weaved his first hive from rye straw attached with bramble branches and played host to his first swarm. Soon he had ten hives and rejoiced each day at the song of the bees. The time came, though, to see the world and after his studies he found himself managing a four-star hotel in New York! After 15 years, Mr Colléoc returned home, changed his life and came back to the world of bees.

He soon became president of the “Association for the conservation and the selection of the black Breton bee,” which today has 130 volunteer members who are determined to defend this wonderful black Celtic bee. Their goal is to perpetuate, select and multiply this bee, particularly on the Ile d’Ouessant, and also to introduce it to the continent. On the island, the bee has adapted to the environment for centuries – the queen even times her egg-laying to correspond with the development of the flora. How do these bees, which are bothered neither by predators nor illness, spend their time? They make honey, a honey as pure as the sea air, drawn from the floral tapestries of the island – a honey that deserves the adjective “organic”!

Three honeys that are best described by Mr Colléoc himself: “from July onwards, spring honey is recognisable by its light oak colour; it’s sweet and pleasant with a slight mint flavour. From August onwards, it’s the summer honey, which has a light amber colour. It’s aromatic, intense and complex with floral, woody and caramelised notes. Finally, in early September, we harvest the late summer honey with a dark Sienna colour: it’s thick, with a powerful aroma that gives way to a slightly bitter, persistent aftertaste. These honeys are so delicious that the production is too small to satisfy all their fans! But Colléoc swears there will not be another jar! Einstein wrote that the disappearance of the bee would lead within a few years to the demise of humanity. So, I ask the President of the Republic, ministers, local administrators and honey enthusiasts to fight to protect this black bee and taste its marvellous creations at my restaurant in the company of Mr Colléoc.

« Association pour la conservation, la sélection de l’abeille noire bretonne », Monsieur Colléoc, Mairie 29242 Ile d’Ouessant, 02 98 73 20 35.