Written by Hannah Westwood
After trying out beeswax wraps from Two Bovey Bees, a small business run by two University of Leicester postgraduate students making and selling beeswax wraps, Plan-It Change spoke to Charlotte, one of the founders.
Hi Charlotte! Do you want to tell us what beeswax wraps are and what they can be used for?
Beeswax wraps are a sustainable alternative to cling film or tin foil, keeping your food fresh in a reusable fashion. To use them, it is best to warm the wrap in your hands and then mould them around bowls, food and snacks. Some of my favourite things to wrap are sandwiches for a packed lunch and things which are open in the fridge, for example a cucumber or block of cheese!
How did you get started making them?
My boyfriend, Jowan, and I have recently set up a small business selling handmade beeswax food wraps called Two Bovey Bees. We are two postgraduate students at the University of Leicester who are hoping to share our sustainable initiatives with others. We have been using beeswax wraps for about a year, and in December 2020 we decided to try and create our own to give as Christmas gifts for our families. They were so well received, and we enjoyed the process so much that we decided to give the world of small businesses a go!
Can you give us an insight into the making process?
To make the wraps, we first select the materials and then wash, dry, iron and cut them. To make the wax mixture, we melt 100% natural beeswax pellets, and also mix this with pine resin and jajoba oil. Using jajoba oil makes the wraps more pliable, and pine resin has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. It also hardens when exposed to air and melts when exposed to heat, making our wraps more effective by giving them a tacky quality and in turn, an extended lifespan. We ‘paint’ this mixture onto heated material, before brushing off the excess and then leaving them to hang dry.
How can we purchase some beeswax wraps from you?
Each of our sets includes one Small (8" x 8"), one Medium (10" x 10") and one Large (12" x 12") wrap, and come in a variety of colours and designs (see the above picture for styles in the next release). All are available to purchase on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/twoboveybees and our next re-stock will be Tuesday 19th January at 7:30 pm! Each pack is £12.99 with free shipping. To keep up to date with our restocks and latest designs, we can also be found on Facebook (here) and Instagram (here) @twoboveybees.
Plan-It Change is not affiliated with Two Bovey Bees and asked to interview them after trying out the products. We highly recommend making the swap to beeswax wraps as a great alternative to cling film and foil, and recommend the products sold by Two Bovey Bees.