Sponsored: From Hive to Home: Making a Beeline to Milk and Honey’s New Store

For Bridgette and Grant Slade, Milk and Honey isn’t just a shop, it’s a story of family, resilience, and a deep love for the land that supports them. What began as a chance conversation at a family event twelve years ago has grown into a thriving beekeeping operation and a beautiful Blenheim store dedicated to celebrating New Zealand makers.

Adrienne Matthews

Bridgette recalls the moment it all began. “My uncles and aunties were talking about a beekeeping business for sale. I went home to my husband and said, ‘How would you feel about being a beekeeper?’ He was a meat inspector at the time, but he just said, ‘I’ll give anything a go.’” Within months, the couple had relocated from Raglan to the South Island, where Grant learned the ropes from Bridgette’s uncle. Outdoorsy by nature, the work suited him perfectly.

Their early years in the Clarence area included their fair share of challenges, most memorably the Kaikōura earthquake, which left around 600 of their hives stranded and unreachable except by a long, multiple-hour detour. Eventually the family moved to Blenheim, where life steadied and the idea for Milk and Honey took root.

The shop began almost by accident. “I just needed an office,” Bridgette laughs. “The plan was a little workspace with a few jars of honey on the side.” However, once she opened the doors in The Forum recently, something clicked. “I discovered how much I loved it. And then I started collecting and the business grew exponentially.”

Today, Milk and Honey proudly champions small New Zealand businesses, offering products that are owned, designed, or created by kiwis. “My love language is giving gifts,” Bridgette says, “so that’s the guiding rule. If it’s something I’d love to receive or give, we will try it.” Natural, plant-based skincare, beautifully crafted homewares, honey from their own hives and from trusted producers, handmade treats, thoughtful accessories are all curated with care.

Visitors often comment first on the fabulous aroma and then they notice the beauty of the displays, the sense of discovery, the feeling that everything has been chosen with intention.

With the new, larger space, Bridgette is expanding her dream to curated gift boxes, elegant displays, and a growing online store. “I want Milk and Honey to feel like the old mercantile stores of the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” she says. “Somewhere you can find something for everyone.”

After two whirlwind years, it is clear she has created exactly that.