Nature's Laboratory at The Made in Whitby Festival! by Tom Cull, director of Production, Purchasing & Operations.

31 July 2024

Nature's Laboratory at this summer's Made in Whitby Festival

We’re just back from the Made in Whitby festival where we were showcasing the Nature's Laboratory brands Beevital, Sweet Cecily’s, and The Whitby Tea Company.

You can see team member Ashley Jones (left) and myself (right) in the photo above & might guess at how windy it was when you notice the rocks holding down our leaflets and booklets!

Hear how we fared, and the journey the group has been on...

From strength to strength!

There’s the fabled term of the difficult second album in music circles, where musicians who have produced outstanding initial records always have the expectation of equalling or surpassing with their second effort.

In cinema, the sequel to a blockbuster or a classic always has a tall order to emulate or reproduce the original production. But when you’ve already done that, when you’ve already stood at the Oche a second time and thrown triple top again, how difficult does the third bite of the cherry become?

With the Made in Whitby festival, this is the position it found itself in.

How it all started

Launched in July 2023 only 6 weeks after the initial idea, the Made in Whitby festival took place at Whitby Brewery in the shadows of the famous Whitby Abbey on the east cliff.

The first festival was a stunning success, a unique event celebrating and showcasing the creative spirit of Whitby’s local makers, from brewers and distillers, to bakers and smokers, conservationists and crafters, salt harvesters and herbal and bee medicine manufacturers.

There were talks by local makers and experts in their fields, music from local bands, such a great atmosphere over the two days.

The second festival was bigger and better, held in December 2023, the Christmas festival epitomised the local festive spirit, a real coming together and celebration of Whitby and the festive season, with some mulled wine and roasted chestnuts thrown in along side real coal fire pits and marshmallows to toast, and even an appearance from Santa’s band!

Made in Whitby Festival number 3!

So the third festival, held the first week in July (4th and 5th), had a lot to live up to, and it certainly did that. A bustling hive of activity with locals and tourists making the trip up the 199 steps to see the makers and their stalls, including the local blacksmith giving demonstrations with her forge and the challenge to get one maker from each stall to have a go at knitting with a local gansey maker.

We were there from Nature's Laboratory, chatting about our BeeVital range, our Sweet Cecily’s skincare products, and our Whitby Tea Company loose leaf teas and blends.

We spent a lot of time conversing with members of the public informing them of who we are, and what we do, as well educating them about propolis (a substance that honeybees make) and the many amazing properties of it.

The camaraderie and spirit was apparent between fellow makers, showcasing the collective we have become.

A date for your diary - Made in Whitby Festival - Christmas 2024

Nature’s Laboratory are already looking forward to the 4th festival at Christmas over the weekend of the 14th and 15th December 2024 . Hope to see you there!