In her backyard in Sydney's Blue Mountains, Nina Tverskikh prepares to inspect her colony of bees.
She dons a full body suit and lights up some pine needles. The smoke they produce will calm the bees she's about to disrupt.
"When bees are angry I can hear them bump, bump, bump into my suit," she laughs.
Her small-scale operation houses more than 30,000 bees, spread out across six hives on her property.
The honey and beeswax they produce form the key ingredients in her 'Nina's Bees' skincare range, which includes soaps, hand balms and more.
"Every single product is handcrafted, all natural. And beeswax, when it's applied to the skin, together with oils, sort of locks moisture in the skin," she explains.
But her business might never have launched if it weren't for a bout of bad luck: after several years working in sales, she was made redundant.
Nina's skincare range includes soaps, balms and more. Source: Supplied
"It was quite a traumatic experience which led me to question myself and the direction [of] my life."
She decided to take her passion for beekeeping and turn it into a business, with Nina's Bees being the result.
Now her office is her home. From her kitchen, she whips up soaps, balms, bath bombs and more.
Her recipes are the result of extensive research and family history.
"I grew up south of Russia and my grandmother collected herbs and she used to make basic salves, like burn salve for example," Nina says. "And when I started my business I certainly used that very basic knowledge on the herbs."
Nina Tverskikh at her home in Sydney's Blue Mountains. Source: Supplied
But one of the challenges with a business based on bees is the weather. If it’s too hot for too long, the bees can’t make honey; if it’s too cold, the same problem.
Nina says last year was particularly hot, forcing her to source extra beeswax from other local producers.
"I just had to absorb the cost," Nina says.
Business buzz
Despite the challenges, Nina’s business is doing better than she ever imagined for its first year.
From an initial investment of just 500 dollars, she's on track to turn over about 70,000 dollars.
She sells her products online through Etsy, and the Farmhouse website.
"Bees changed my world. They are a perfect example of selfless serving community. It's amazing what they can teach you."
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