What does Five Bees Farm produce?

Five Bees Farm is establishing a regenerative agroforestry system to grow premium medicinal and culinary herbs on 17 acres in North Devon. We supply wholesale botanical ingredients to UK herbal supplement and nutraceutical manufacturers.

When will Five Bees Farm be operational?

Farm operations begin in 2026. First product availability is planned for 2027. We are currently in the establishment phase, developing our agroforestry system and infrastructure.

Is Five Bees Farm certified organic?

We are targeting Soil Association organic certification, with full conversion expected by 2028. We follow organic and regenerative principles from the outset, with zero synthetic inputs.

Where is Five Bees Farm located?

Five Bees Farm is located near Bideford in North Devon, England. Our postcode is EX39 5QZ.

What makes Five Bees Farm different from other herb suppliers?

We are one of very few farms in the UK establishing a dedicated agroforestry system for herbal production. This means our herbs grow in a biodiverse, tree-integrated environment without synthetic inputs. We offer full traceability from seed to shipment, a Soil Association organic certification pathway, and a genuinely regenerative supply chain — reducing UK manufacturers' dependence on imported botanicals.

Dried Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)

We grow meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), a native British plant of damp meadows and riverbanks, near Woolsery, North Devon. We supply its dried flowering tops wholesale to UK trade buyers. Meadowsweet has creamy, almond-scented flowers and was historically used to flavour mead and other drinks.

Meadowsweet at a glance

Common name: meadowsweet, queen of the meadow
Latin name: Filipendula ulmaria (family Rosaceae)
Part supplied: flowering tops (flowers with upper leaves)
Grown at: Five Bees Farm, near Woolsery, North Devon
Harvest: June to August, in flower
Planned formats: whole, cut & sifted
Organic status: working towards Soil Association certification (target 2028)

How we grow meadowsweet

Meadowsweet is one of the best-suited herbs for our land. It’s a UK native that thrives in damp, heavy soil in sun or part shade. We grow it in no-dig beds on the wetter parts of the farm and along the margins of our swales and ponds, where it also supports pollinators. We use zero synthetic inputs.

Harvest and handling

We cut meadowsweet on dry days in midsummer as the flower clusters open. We avoid damaged or mildewed foliage and keep stem to a minimum. The flowers are delicate, so cut material goes to the drying barn quickly.

Drying and processing

Meadowsweet is dried on the farm at low temperatures to protect its colour and characteristic scent. Dried flowering tops are packed in sealed packaging and stored away from light.

Formats for trade buyers

Whole dried meadowsweet flowering tops
Cut & sifted meadowsweet (planned)

Who buys our meadowsweet

UK-grown meadowsweet suits herbal tea and botanical drinks brands, brewers and mead makers, herbalists and tincture makers, pet and equine supplement makers, and herb wholesalers.

Provenance and traceability

Meadowsweet is often wild-harvested. Ours is cultivated on one farm in North Devon, with each batch coded to its bed, harvest date and drying record.

Meadowsweet FAQs

Is your meadowsweet wild-harvested?

No. It’s cultivated on our farm, so we can document where and when each batch was grown and cut.

Can you supply flowers only?

Our standard format is flowering tops. Please ask about a flowers-only specification and we’ll let you know what we can offer.

When will meadowsweet be available?

First harvests for trade buyers are planned for 2028. Register your interest now and we’ll keep you updated.

Request a meadowsweet sample

Email hello@fivebeesfarm.co.uk to register interest in UK-grown dried meadowsweet or to discuss future volumes.