THE HISTORY OF OUR HUMBLE HIVE

MEET DEDO BLAGOJA
Maternal grandfather | pronounced Bla-go-ya
“THE ORIGINAL HUMBLE APIARIST”
Dedo Blagoja’s self-taught passion for beekeeping began in the early 1970's as the very first apiarist in the village of Mrenoga, Macedonia.
Gifted in calmness, Blagoja would handle his hives with no gloves yet was rarely stung, carrying an innate ability to keep swarms docile with a mutual patience, trust, and unspoken communication that cannot be taught.
The time and care he poured into his hardworking bees afforded him the sweetest liquid gold to be sold near and far; a most rewarding pastime; a unique side hustle turned business; and today - an important piece of history in the continuing story that is our Humble family legacy.
MEET BABA MILICA
Maternal grandmother | pronounced Mi-li-tsa
“THE HUMBLE APIARTIST’S WIFE”
Baba Milica learnt the delicate art of beekeeping from her husband, assisting him in harvesting their precious honey, and passing these noble skills down to their daughter Lidija who showed an interest in the family passion from an early age.
Baba Milica’s dedication to her husband’s hives and daughter Lidija’s knowledge of beekeeping helped shape the future, and today’s queen bee matriarch of Humble.


MEET DEDO VOJISLAV
Paternal grandfather | pronounced Voy-i-slav
“THE HONEY GUY”
Dedo Vojislav’s fulfilling beekeeping journey began alongside his hopeful migration to Australia thirty years ago. Coincidentally - or perhaps fatefully - he too came from the tiny village of Mrenoga in Macedonia.
Vojislav was drawn into the world of beekeeping through friends and their hobby farms in Sydney, joining beekeeping associations with his son Aco to both learn the art of the apiary and grow their avid harvesting skills.
Vojislav’s humble beginnings with honey started with selling to family and friends at the local pension club, lending him the nickname “the honey guy”, with his growing number of hives eventually spanning across a number of properties.
We have Dedo Vojislav’s humble passion to thank for what is today Humble - The Urban Hive.
MEET LIDIJA
Daughter of Blagoja, wife of Aco, daughter-in-law of Vojislav | pronounced Lid-i-ya
“THE QUEEN BEE MATRIARCH”
The most fearless of the family beekeepers, Lidija is a second generation apiarist - the family matriarch and queen bee who keeps her family together and working hard in their thriving hive.
An avid beekeeper back in Mrenoga from early youth, Lidija attained her beekeeping knowledge from her parents, Dedo Blagoja and Baba Milica, but left it behind in 1993 when she flew from the village nest with her husband Aco and two children in search of a better life in Australia.
Destiny reconnected Lidija with her family legacy of beekeeping, alongside her husband Aco and father-in-law Dedo Vojislav who also shared a passion for the hive. With them, she was able to revive her apiarist skills and lend her experience to what eventually became the family business that is today Humble - The Urban Hive.
Gifted with the same calm as her father Blagoja when working with the bees, Lidija displays a genuine love, respect and care for the health of the hives - the type that can only come from a mother.


MEET ACO | CO-FOUNDER
Son of Vojislav, husband of Lidija | pronounced A-tso
“THE UNMATCHED PALATE”
The only child of Dedo Vojislav, Aco is our other second generation apiarist, alongside his wife Lidija. Aco learned the art of the apiary through his father and father in law, and is known for his more placid approach to working with the bees as arguably the most timid member of our beekeeping family.
A very hard working and knowledgeable apiarist, his passion lies very much in the honey rather than the apiary itself, and we often joke that his super skill is eating it.
Truth be told, his unmatched palate can detect vast and varied flavour profiles with a kind of pinpoint accuracy and depth that make him a simply undoubted, sweet-toothed honey connoisseur and Co-founder of Humble - The Urban Hive with his daughter Biljana.
MEET BILJANA | CO-FOUNDER
Daughter of Aco and Lidija | pronounced Bil-ya-na
“THE BUSY BEE”
Representing the third generation of our family’s art, Biljana brings every element of Humble together. From beekeeping and processing, to jarring and packaging, she’s our brand’s sweet voice, family feel, and personal historian - wearing every hat possible to bring the honey from our apiary to your pantry.
Pouring her soul into the business, Humble is Biljana’s vision of documenting a family legacy to be continued, and is expanding on our zero waste philosophy to produce beeswax pillar candles from the leftover byproducts of honey harvesting.
Biljana is also a mother to Maksim and Elena who just may be our fourth generation, budding beekeepers.


MEET CHARBEL
Husband of Biljana and beloved Son in law of Aco and Lidija
“THE ROMANTIC ROASTER”
It all started with a coffee and a smile. Charbel the passionate barista, Biljana the starry-eyed customer.
Just as the warmth and comfort of coffee is a symbol of togetherness and connection for all, these two lovebirds found each other serendipitously over cups of coffee that evolved into familiarity, friendship, and eventually a lifelong bond of love.
MEET CHARBEL
AND BILJANA
“THE HONEYMOONERS”
A generation later, worlds collided yet again when Charbel the passionate barista handed starry-eyed, regular customer Biljana a cup of coffee.
Just as the warmth and comfort of coffee is a symbol of togetherness and connection for all, these two lovebirds found each other serendipitously over daily cups of coffee that evolved into familiarity, friendship, and one day - a cuppa with a number on it - the first step forward in their flourishing, lifelong bond of love.


MEET ACO AND LIDIJA
“THE IN LAWS”
The moment Aco reunited with Lidija in their Macedonian village of Mrenoga, her family home was the first stop for a traditional coffee visit.
It was there after years of childhood friendship, some lost time, and a warm cup of coffee, they found their young selves in love - soon wedded, and uniting their passions for the apiary which would follow them across the world to last a lifetime.
OUR HUMBLE PHILOSOPHY ON SUSTAINABILITY








We believe you can’t be Humble without love and respect for the planet and all living things.
HUMBLE THE URBAN HIVE - KEEPING IT RAW AND REAL
We love and respect our bees, and the special place they hold in our culture and Humble family history.That’s why we keep our product 100% authentic and 100% sustainable with a zero waste approach - producing small batches of perfectly raw and real, unfiltered, unprocessed and unheated honey, from our apiary to your pantry.Our artisanal approach means we locally source and reuse everything we possibly can. When a wax frame can no longer be used, we harvest the wax and produce Humble Burn candles, giving new life to our bees’ hard work. We know that hearty hive health means happy bees, and perfectly harmonious honey. We don't over harvest, and always encourage foraging as nature intended. Australian made, owned, sourced and loved.
HUMBLE ROAST - KEEPING IT ROASTED AND ROMANTIC
When it comes to our coffee, we’re dedicated to sustainability and sourcing from farms that align with our values. We love that coffee comes from the earth, and its lifecycle can continue to enrich it. The chaff that falls from the coffee bean during roasting is collected and donated to communities and farmers by the hundreds of kilos - a valuable source of soil nutrients supporting thriving gardens and farms.The hessian bags we package our coffee in are repurposed natural jute that is both biodegradable and fully compostable.