Nature enthusiast Ian Wogan gave up a job in the food and beverage industry to focus on his colony of bees.
Ian Wogan at his bee farm.
As a child, Ian Wogan wasn’t allowed to watch any television other than National Geographic. “My parents thought staying inside was a waste of time,” says Wogan as he walks among a series of wooden beehives buzzy enough to make one uncomfortable. Pointing up to a lone wild hive visible against the sun, he squints. “Bees are amazing.”
An all-around caretaker and environmentalist, the Miami native tends a constellation of hundreds of hives from South Beach to Key Biscayne and even Homestead, adding up to well over a million bees that pollinate crops throughout Dade County. First he sells landowners and farmers on the age-old practice, then he trucks bees in from Homestead. “Key Biscayne is one of the best areas because it’s between two huge ecosystems—Biscayne Bay and Crandon.” To combat the current honeybee colony collapse—a phenomenon where worker bees disappear—Wogan places hives near native plants, which require fewer pesticides.
His subsequent sweet delight, branded Garden of Ian, can be found by the Mason jar at local roaster Panther Coffee (2390 NW Second Ave., Miami; 1875 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach), while cocktail bars The Regent Cocktail Club and The Broken Shaker use Wogan’s honey to mix up their handcrafted libations. Out of Garden of Ian’s plethora of flavors, South Florida wildflower is unique to Miami, and an amalgamation of our ecology.
The honey produced by Wogan’s bees goes into dishes and drinks served at some of Miami’s top restaurants and bars.
Wogan’s childhood may have set off his love and appreciation for nature, but it was his environmental science studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara that catapulted it. “Seeing how environmentally responsible they are in California made me want to come back and implement that same awareness here.” He finished his studies at FIU, where he established the school’s first farmers market and was heavily involved in the garden club. This path led him to managing Paradise Farms after graduating.
For a long time, Wogan was an eco-friendly arborist and beekeeper by day, while serving chef José Andrés’s culinary wonders to diners at The Bazaar at the SLS South Beach. He’s since given up the job to focus on pollinating South Florida and tree management, but The Bazaar is now a customer, buying his honey. Next up? He’ll be working with 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach. “There are a ton of trees, mangroves, and palms around the area, as well as all of the coastal dune flowers,” he says. “[Bees] go to the nectar and then do a little geometric dance to show the other worker bees where the water sources are as well as the food sources.”
“I love Miami, and as much as there’s been evolution in the natural context of things, there’s still a certain level of catching up,” says Wogan, who has certainly given us a delicious way to do it.