Our story

Kristeva's journey into the world of meadmaking began as a humble hobby beekeeper. In her third year of tending to her bees, they produced an impressive 450 pounds of honey. Knowing the incredible labor that goes into producing even a single teaspoon of honey, she was determined not to let this liquid gold go to waste.

Prior to this, mead had never held a special place in her heart. In fact, she had often dismissed it as unpalatable. However, on a snowy Christmas Day in 2017, she decided to take a chance. She delved into the world of mead crafting, using her own honey as the primary ingredient. To her surprise and delight, the mead that she produced was unlike any other that she and her husband, Eric, had tasted before. For them, it was a revelation.

Their mead was unique, a flavor profile distinct from the offerings found on the commercial market. It left them curious and craving more. Kristeva was not content with just savoring her newfound passion; she sought to share her creation with others. To do so, she needed unbiased opinions from the most discerning critics: judges at a mead competition.

With the courage to take a step into the unknown, she submitted her mead to a competition. The anticipation was palpable as the results were announced. To her astonishment and sheer delight, she clinched a gold medal, and the judges provided glowing feedback that lit her path forward. It was a pivotal moment that encouraged Kristeva to follow her newfound dream.

With fresh determination, she continued crafting mead throughout the year. The following year, she took her passion even further, entering five distinct meads into various competitions. To her joy, each of these meads earned medals, validating her skills and innovative approach.

As she stood before the judges to collect her fourth medal, a voice from the crowd pierced through the room. "We want to come drinking at your place!" The words resonated in her ears, marking a turning point in her journey. It was that precise moment when Kristeva made a life-altering decision: she would embark on the path of making mead on a commercial scale, sharing her unique creations with the world. The Stolen Harvest journey had just begun.

embracing regenerative agriculture

At Stolen Harvest Meadery, Nothing Goes to Waste!

We are more than just passionate meadmakers; we're dedicated stewards of the land, committed to sustainability and regenerative agriculture practices. It's our belief that every resource should be utilized to its fullest potential, and nothing should go to waste. Here's how we are making a difference to our land through regenerative agriculture and our unique partnership with the help of our feathered friends.

1. Enriching the Soil with Chickens and Turkeys: In our ongoing commitment to regenerative agriculture, we've enlisted the help of some very special assistants – chickens and turkeys. These hardworking birds play a crucial role in enriching our soil. They roam freely, pecking and scratching, helping to break up compacted soil, and naturally fertilizing it with their droppings. This process enhances soil health and promotes nutrient cycling, ultimately benefiting the quality of the honey and fruit we use in our mead production.

2. Composting Meadmaking Byproducts: Meadmaking generates fruit waste products, such as pomace and leftover fruit pulp. Instead of discarding these valuable resources, we turn them into nutrient-rich compost. Our feathered friends play a part in this process too. They happily devour these byproducts, further breaking them down and turning them into organic matter that enriches the soil. This sustainable practice not only reduces waste but also ensures that our land remains fertile for future harvests. These birds also help control pests and weeds, reducing our reliance on chemical interventions.

3. Supporting Local Ecosystems: Our regenerative agriculture practices extend beyond our immediate needs. We have kept natural ponds and managed the land so there are many natural areas for wildlife to not only visit but also to make their homes on the land. By providing a habitat for wildlife, we contribute to local biodiversity and promote a balanced ecosystem. We have seen a marked increase in wild birds, bats, toads, dragon flies, and frogs.

4. Enhancing Sustainability: Stolen Harvest Meadery believes in the concept of "closed-loop sustainability." In this system, we aim to minimize waste and maximize resource utilization. The integration of chickens and turkeys into our agricultural practices is just one example of how we're reducing our environmental footprint.

5. A Commitment to Quality: Our dedication to regenerative agriculture isn't just about being eco-conscious; it's also about ensuring the highest quality ingredients for our meads. Healthy soil, rich in nutrients, results in better fruit and honey, which in turn translates into superior mead. It's a win-win for the environment and our products.

At Stolen Harvest Meadery, we take great pride in our commitment to regenerative agriculture. We believe that nature's bounty should be honored and nothing should go to waste. Through the innovative use of chickens and turkeys in our agricultural practices, we're not only crafting exceptional meads but also nurturing the land that sustains us.

By choosing Stolen Harvest Meadery, you're not just savoring delicious mead; you're supporting a sustainable, regenerative approach to agriculture that helps preserve the environment for generations to come. We invite you to join us on this journey toward a more sustainable, responsible, and flavorful future. Cheers to a world where nothing goes to waste, and every resource is valued!

Fermentation Philosophy

Well made meads can delight the senses and raise the tasting experience from ordinary to incredible – the difference of a well-crafted product is truly amazing. We believe that great meads begin with great honey. And the Canadian Prairies produce great honeys.

We take our time to source the highest quality products from local sustainable farms. Once a year we make our Special Reserve meads whose ingredients sourced exclusively from the wild.  Stolen Harvest Mead produces the highest quality mead with a view to creating unique tasting experiences for our clientele.

A single honeybee produces a meagre twelfth of a teaspoon of honey per day so each drop is precious. The honey used determines the overarching flavour of the mead, and can vary according to a honey bee’s particular diet of nectar and pollen. Drinking honey wine is the ultimate experience in “Terroir”.

The Politics of Mead

The per capita consumption of honey in Canada is only one kilo (2.2 pounds) per year--we aim to raise that! Who would have thought that by making and drinking mead we could be part of a political movement. From saving the bees to increasing economic development. In each bottle of mead there is anywhere from two and a half to nearly six pounds of fruit or berries and between a half to two pounds of honey. This mixture is magically converted to alcohol by specially chosen yeast strains. By choosing a local mead instead of an imported one, you are not only keeping your money in your community and supporting local farms and beekeepers, but also diversifying our economy.

Press

Wine Align - Results of 2023 winners!

Go Solo Magazine

The Tomato - Mead, a Honey of a Drink

Edmonton Journal - Honey flows into gold medals for Alberta's Stolen Harvest Meadery

Everything GP - Stolen Harvest gains International acclaim with three gold medals at the World Mead Challenge 2020

Daily Herald Tribune - Mead Maker strikes gold while mastering her craft

At the Meadery

Located in scenic Grovedale, Alberta, Stolen Harvest Meadery is hand carved from the Alberta boreal forest: it is ten acres of a rural oasis. There are hand planted gardens with a wide variety of vegetables and numerous heritage garlics growing. There is a fruit forest as well as a newly planted orchard (2018) with Saskatoons, haskaps, and prairie cherries. Each spring, the fields come alive with a symphony of wildflowers. Some, such as dandelions and wild roses, are lovingly harvested each year in anticipation of the moment when water, yeast, and local raw wildflower honey come together and magic unfolds. The property is adjacent to a larger forest where mother nature provides a bounty wild edibles, some of which make it into our micro-batch hand crafted meads.

Hosts

Kristeva - is a well-traveled anthropologist with a sense of adventure and a bland food phobia. She spent many years wandering the globe in search of foreign cultures and culinary adventures. She is the author of Chicken Poop for the Soul: in search of food sovereignty. The story of her self-sufficient journey towards independence by learning how to hunt, gather, and raise all her own food. What started as an experiment for a book quickly became a passion and a way of life for her. She enjoys taking wine-lovers outside their comfort zone by introducing them to her wildly inspired meads.  

Eric - An experienced forager, Eric can teach you how to find wild edibles even in your front lawn—a skill that gets put to use when searching for wild foraged flavours for their mead. From the sea-scapes of his family summer retreat in Cape Breton to the wilderness of Northern Ontario where he spent six months living alone in the wilderness, he has gathered from nature a variety of wild edibles. He has worked in the food industry for more than 20 years in both the role of chef and butcher. His newest passion is charcuterie and pairing his creations with Stolen Harvest Meads. 

Stolen Harvest meadery

69156 RR 63

Grovedale, AB T0H-1X0