Staunton Park are all about protecting the bees in a way that is sustainable
We transformed a bee sponsorship initiative into a high-performing brand experience – with standout packaging, a smart Shopify store, and record-breaking sponsorship sales.
What’s the most important thing about any brand development? Creating a buzz and sustaining it!
In this case, we have been able to achieve both: creating initial excitement around what is essentially Corporate Social Responsibility initiative – albeit an important and prominent one for the client – and ensuring it is supported viably going forward in a way that becomes self-sustaining.
In a world where CSR initiatives can often be an afterthought for a business, our brand development project for Staunton Park has also created a halo effect for the overall business and overarching brand, as well as bringing together a whole host of diverse businesses under the banner of Staunton Park.
On the Results
Brand Results – sponsorships, sales & impact
20+ beehive sponsorships secured, including FTSE250 Estate Agents Foxtons!
4x Corporate Sponsorships secured in launch week
20x Sponsorships secured in 2 months
Foxtons FTSE250 Estate Agents Sponsors hives!
Honey sold out – more bee sponsorships required
Asking Chris and the team to develop our brand for Staunton Park and the Herefordshire Honey range was a no brainer – they’d already achieved incredible results for our Chartered Surveying business. Our Staunton Park project has many elements, and the Heighton Agency team were able to bring clarity to our strategy and ideas. We’re incredibly proud of the resulting brand and the results already achieved.”
This new project builds on that successful relationship, and while it’s a world away from the bricks and mortar domain of Chartered Surveying, it’s been exhilarating to deliver something that makes a difference in terms of the environment and helping to grow our native bee population.
On the Challenge
Branding the vision: from bees to business growth
Our friends at Staunton Park had a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve.
They had already restored the Park with a clear focus on natural habitats and food production, putting bees at the heart of the operation. Their next vision was to champion awareness and help others across the country to set up their own apiaries with British bees most closely related to those native to these isles.
Their expansive bee farm produces honey in abundance and, to capitalise on this, Joe and the Staunton Park team wanted to create a brand that also incorporated a corporate sponsorship business, with the ability to sell their honey to the local market. It’s a unique, exciting and innovative approach that sets the business and brand apart in the marketplace.
To maximise the value of the opportunity, Staunton Park commissioned us to design the brand and labelling for their premium honey.
For artisan food brands, the label isn’t just packaging – it’s a vital tool for showcasing their unique value and connecting emotionally with discerning customers.
Designing food labels for premium, artisan food products presents a unique blend of challenges and opportunities. The label must not only comply with strict regulatory requirements for ingredient lists, nutritional information, and allergen warnings but also convey the brand’s authenticity, craftsmanship, and premium quality at a glance.
Our brief was to create a design that balances compliance with creativity, using high-quality materials, sophisticated typography, and engaging imagery to tell the product’s story.
We also knew this market from experience of delivering branding and marketing support for a client in the eco-living property sector, The Wintles, Shropshire. This was invaluable transferable knowledge that informed this project and gave it a head start.
Working with the team at Staunton Park has been an exciting journey. They are all about protecting the bees in a way that is sustainable, so we had to be sustainably smart about our marketing solutions. Their investment in our expertise has already paid dividends and we’ll continue working with them to build their incredible brand – and their business!
CSR projects typically aren’t big budget. In this case, that didn’t matter as, with every project we deliver, we make every penny work hard.
Our approach to maximising effectiveness while minimising costs paid off here, allowing us to dip into our design and digital toolbox to design and deliver impactful assets that all work hard to promote the initiative.
Staunton Park got everything they needed – and nothing they didn’t.
On Branding design
As a branding theme and motif, bees have been done. A lot.
So, creating a standout bee brand? That was the challenge. Our first question for this brief was simple:
Branding bees differently: a new angle on logo design
For us, great logo design starts with simplicity. But this needed something more – a crafted, artisan sophistication to reflect the premium quality of the honey and its provenance.
Starting with a stunning macro photograph of a bee in flight, we focused in on the cylindrical pattern it creates as it moves. We then built a visual system using three intersecting circles, cut back to reveal a refined geometric form.
The result is an elegant, scalable mark – equally suited to gold foil stamping on honey labels as it is to signage, screen use, or hive branding.
And it’s flexible, too. Staunton Park is already expanding into a spring water range, and this logo is built to evolve with them.
Designing a Shopify website for bee sponsorships
The new Staunton Park website includes full Shopify functionality and offers a growing collection of premium bee products – including their infused Herefordshire honey.
The site balances narrative with utility, giving visitors a rich sense of place and purpose. It’s built for conversion but steeped in authenticity – you can almost taste the heathered honey.
Crafting premium honey labels with purpose
What makes Herefordshire honey so special? Staunton Park’s bees are well travelled – up to 3km in every direction – foraging nectar from heather, apple, cherry and wild meadow.
Our label designs reflect this depth of flavour and provenance. Each one features a directional motif inspired by bee flight, reinforcing the natural story behind the product.
Packaging as a premium brand experience
Packaging is more than a container – it’s a brand’s first impression. Staunton Park needed something that reflected their commitment to craft, quality, and sustainability.
We delivered a cohesive packaging system that’s functionally strong and visually striking – a tactile expression of the brand that elevates product perception and drives engagement.
Branded product design for Herefordshire food producers
We’ve helped artisan producers across Herefordshire build branded product ranges that resonate with today’s customers.
Our work with Staunton Park is a clear example of how strategic design – from label to digital storefront – turns great local products into purpose-led premium brands.
CSR sponsorship model – bee adoption for brands
By giving all kinds of businesses the opportunity to adopt a beehive(s) for 1 year, Staunton Park achieve several goals:
Supporting the growth of a new colony – bringing a new population of bees into the world.
Helping other businesses to meet their Corporate Social Responsibility goals.
The icing on the cake? Sponsors also receive a supply of premium infused Herefordshire honey! And a regular hive updates with video and social media content that companies can use to promote their active involvement in the initiative.
As proof of bee adoption, companies also receive a Certificate and a plaque is placed on your beehive(s), along with a Staunton Park stamp of authenticity.
Corporate Sponsors are also encouraged to go one step further and buy a nucleus of bees and hive, with support from the team and a stream of advice on the blog and Staunton Park’s YouTube channel.
On Brand
A cohesive brand journey – from jar to digital
HeightOn is a digital marketing and advertising agency working with businesses across Herefordshire – including Staunton and nearby areas.
This project with Staunton Park is proof that even local CSR initiatives can be transformed into high-performing brand campaigns, complete with branded products, Shopify store development, and a marketing strategy tailored for growth in the region.
Our long partnership with the team at Staunton Park highlights the impact of strategic packaging design, branding, website development, and print solutions and how we get them all working together to create a cohesive and high-performing brand.
If you’re looking to refine your packaging, refresh your branding, or enhance your online presence, get in touch.
