Menu

W.A. (Bill) Philpott (1882-1956) and his wife Mary, arrived in the Brooks area from England in 1912. Bill came to Canada to work with the Duke of Sutherland, to break new farm land in the Brooks area.  

 

Later that year, Bill’s brother Harry Philpott (1888-1956) travelled to Brooks for a visit and to help his brother.  Harry had previously served in the cavalry during the Boer War in South Africa.  When war broke out in 1914, Harry returned to England, joined the army and served in the motorized division.  While in England, Harry met and married his wife Elsie in 1917, before returning to Canada again.  Harry and Elsie made a homestead at Steveville for a few months before returning to Brooks.

​

Bill and Harry Philpott did have other jobs; Bill was the head carpenter for the C.P.R., and Harry was a mechanic. But both brothers started keeping bees about 1919. For a time, Harry operated Morgan Bees with a business partner, but later he went into business for himself. Bill and Harry had two separate businesses and separate identical buildings next door to each other. But they bought and sold together and were called Philpott Bros., later to be called Philpott Honey Alberta Queen Honey. 

 

The original location of the honey houses would be where the center of Brooks is now, on the corner of 5th Avenue and 1st Street West.  In about 1952, they moved the business out to the edge of town, to the end of Fairview Avenue. 

​

​

Harry's son Jeffrey Philpott (1920-1993), became the Second-Generation owner.  He took over his father's business and bought the other side of the family business in the late 1950's.  It was at this time he changed the name of the company to Philpott Honey Producers Ltd.  Jeff and his wife Agnes ran the business at the Fairview Avenue location for many years. 

 

​

In 1975, Dale Philpott became a partner with his dad Jeff to become the Third-Generation owner.  In 1976, Dale purchased a farm 10 kilometres north of Brooks on the Duchess Highway, where he built a house.  He also subdivided out part of his land for the company with the intent to move the business there.  The enormous job of moving the honey house buildings and business happened in 1979, but was necessary as the Town of Brooks was growing around the honey farm.  (A few years later, the Philpott Court cul-de-sac would be developed where the business once stood, and named in commemoration of that Philpott Honey location.)

​​​

In 1982 Dale Philpott bought out his dad’s share to be sole owner of the company.  Dale’s younger brother Randy, worked with him for a few years before starting his own bee business, One Tree Honey.  Dale and his wife Evelyn raised their three children with the love of the honey business.  When Evelyn died in 1995, Dale began the process of selling the company to his two sons and son-in-law.

​

​

Brothers Allan and Glen Philpott, and Brother-in-Law Colin McCaig, now Fourth-Generation owners, have owned Philpott Honey since 2010.  During this time, Philpott Honey expanded the number of bee colonies from 5000 to 10,000.  Additionally, they were given the opportunity to contract with seed companies to pollinate hybrid canola seed.  In 2017 Bayer CropScience (now known as BASF) awarded Philpott Honey with a 20-year award for long-time service.

  

After the pollination season is over each year, the hives are returned to their home fields to produce 100% pure raw honey, a light-coloured, mild tasting honey, primarily from Alfalfa plants. Most of the honey produced is packaged in 45-gallon metal drums and is shipped across Canada and overseas.