While employed by the Tasmanian Fire Service Lindsay Bourke started his one-man apiarist business with 200 hives in 1966. Every year he would wisely invest the profits from each honey harvest into the property market to purchase a house. The real estate acquired by Lindsay over the years led him to become a leading property owner in Launceston, Tasmania.

Lindsay’s enthusiasm for challenges saw him leave the honey business in 1980 when other interests, including extensive property development, took hold. In addition to owning and managing 74 residential properties, Lindsay ran his own restaurants, hotels and motels and renovated many of Launceston’s historic buildings.

His passion for beekeeping returned in 2002 and he made Australian Honey Products an award-winning venture exporting to countries such as Korea, Japan, Tahiti, Germany, Jordan and United Kingdom. Initially marketed under the Bourkes Garden Honey and Cradle Mountain Honey, the company expanded with the acquisition of Taverners Products in 2007. This enabled the company to diversify by adding honey beverages, honey ales and honey meads to the product list. In 2008 Lindsay purchased the oldest apiary in Tasmania, the Sheffield Honey Farm, formerly H L Jones & Sons, Barrington Apiary which was established in 1898.

Australian Honey Products now has the largest number of bee hives in Tasmania and is the largest commercial pollinator in Tasmania providing a service to all forms of agriculture statewide.