Babe's is back in the honey business.

A new owner has revived the defunct company and is selling jars of the sweet stuff at a farm in Saanich.

When the 66-year-old Saanich Peninsula company went into receivership a year ago, Brandon Schwartz decided to do what he could to keep it alive. With the backing of friends and family with honey expertise, Schwartz bought the name, bottling equipment and bees.

He didn't want to reveal how much it has cost to bring Babe's Honey Farm back to life, but said: "Whatever we have got in this in money, we've got double in heart and soul."

Tuesday was the first day of business for the resurrected Babe's Honey, located at Galey Farm at 4150 Blenkinsop Rd. The company's new website is at babes-honey-farm.com, and it includes a humorous video showing Babe's has been saved.

Schwartz, 30, was the operations manager at Babe's when financial troubles hit.

Babe's was founded by Alison (Babe) Warren, who ran the business with her husband, Charlie. Babe died in 2006 and a group of investors purchased the company the following year.

Mark Pitcher, the former president of Babe's, was arrested in December 2010 and has been charged with defrauding five clients of nearly $1 million. A preliminary inquiry is set for Dec. 18 to 20.

Babe's went into receivership in February 2011, and the assets, not including land, were auctioned off in June.

Steve Mann, president of Don Mann Excavating Ltd., bought the Walton Place farm in November with plans to improve the site.

Schwartz went into the honey business because he likes bees. "It's pretty simple and pretty honest and it is fun as heck. It is the most fascinating thing," he said.

"I always liked building something from nothing."

Schwartz is working with former Babe's staff, family and friends. Supporters include his father, Bob Schwartz, who worked at Babe's for a couple of summers, Kevin Van Herwaarden, who is running the store and is a beekeeper, and Brendan Bull, another beekeeper.

The plan is for work to translate into ownership.

"As we work, we will earn more of the company . Basically we are doing all this on good faith," Schwartz said, adding: "I can't do this by myself, right? So everybody got on board."

Babe's bees are back on the Saanich Peninsula - Schwartz picked them up in Port Alberni and trucked them over the Malahat - in 170 hives in wooden boxes built by Charlie Warren, Schwartz said. Right now, the bees are wintering and will be checked when the weather warms up. A dozen hives are on display at Galey Farm, where the farm train passes by on tours. Schwartz said h is grateful to Rob Galey for renting him store space.

To get the business started, Schwartz said honey was bought from the Lower Mainland and elsewhere on Vancouver Island. One crop of honey was obtained from the Babe's bees, but it has not yet been processed. He plans to sell honey from Babe's bees in the future.

Varieties of Babe's Honey, with its familiar labels, include creamed, clover, blueberry, raspberry and wildflower. The honey is sold in 500-gram jars for between $8.50 and $9.50. Larger jars and bulk honey are available as well.

Schwartz never met Babe but was inspired by a speech she wrote in 1954 about how she started with a small number of hives, which grew to hundreds.

"I'd like to think she would be happy about this," he said.

cjwilson@timescolonist.com