{"id":6593,"date":"2021-04-28T07:43:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T07:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?p=6593"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:01:09","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T13:01:09","slug":"sisters-in-business-a-force-to-bee-reckoned-with","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/2021\/04\/28\/sisters-in-business-a-force-to-bee-reckoned-with\/","title":{"rendered":"Sisters in business \u2013 a force to bee reckoned with"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sisters Gillian Nimmo (BSc 1985) and Jane Nimmo (BSc 1986) studied the same course at Cardiff University over 30 years ago and recently teamed up to run a small eco-friendly business called Let It Bee, selling sustainable skincare products, soaps and other hive products. They work straight out of their kitchens, with the help of thousands of buzzing bees. <\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gillian Nimmo arrived at Cardiff University in 1981, passionate about languages and ready to study and have some fun. One year later, her sister Jane arrived, looking to gain independence and see the city sights.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As similar as Gillian and Jane\u2019s choices were, it was their differences that shaped their time at Cardiff University and, ultimately, their future relationship as business partners.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI chose Cardiff University because I love languages,\u201d Gillian begins. \u201cFrench and Spanish were my favourite subjects and I wanted to continue with those. Cardiff\u2019s course offered a really unique mix of two languages with a business element.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, it was about the location,\u201d says Jane, \u201cwe were brought up in Swansea, so Cardiff was the big city. We used to go to Barry Island for the ice cream long before it was made famous by Gavin and Stacey! Cardiff was just a really cool place to be.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd close enough to take a load of washing home to mum and dad!\u201d adds Gillian with a chuckle.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, Gillian and Jane lived fairly separate lives during university.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing a year ahead\u201d, Gillian says, \u201cI was already established when Jane arrived in my second year and was studying overseas in my third year. When I came back, Jane did her year overseas. We did bump into each other every now and then though \u2013 mostly in the union bar!\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to studying the same course, they also had a unique opportunity to spend some quality sister time together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a chance to go on a month course to learn Catalan in northern Spain and spent a lot of time together in the mountains with other European students. It was a fantastic experience,\u201d says Jane.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, they also have some very classic Cardiff University memories.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gill smiles widely and says, \u201cThere were all sorts of shenanigans in University Hall \u2013 I\u2019m not sure I could repeat them! It was a lot of fun. I loved the rugby international days in the centre of Cardiff. We\u2019d always grab a bag of chips on the way home to soak up the alcohol. Those were fantastic times.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduation, the sisters went their separate ways into the adult world of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gillian went to London and met her husband-to-be. She moved to New Zealand and spent 27 years in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. She returned to the UK only three years ago after working in a range of non-profit and local government organisations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane fell hard for Spain and the Spanish language, so the moment she graduated she got straight on a plane. She worked in the tourist industry and then ended up working in a shipyard in Galicia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was quite quirky and really enjoyable. I think I would have stayed there but my other sister came to drag me home!\u201d Jane says. She came back and worked in Cardiff for the Welsh Development Agency and spent 30 years in European affairs and working on European Commission projects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a real Europhile and it was my course in Cardiff that helped shape me,\u201d explains Jane.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But for the past 10 years, Jane has been harbouring another passion: beekeeping.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did it for environmental reasons initially, and then it just spiralled from there. It started with just a couple of colonies of bees but the next thing I knew I was looking at 6,7,8 colonies\u2026and that\u2019s when you find yourself with spare honey!\u201d Jane explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth Gill and I have sensitive skin, so I started using the beeswax and the honey for natural skin care and giving pots away as gifts for Christmas. It was just for fun really and people said we should set up as a business, and so we did.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane is the beekeeper, creating the formulations for the soaps and creams. Gillian tests them, designs the packaging, and makes other beeswax products for the home.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a really nice mix of skills,\u201d says Jane, \u201cIf I were trying to do this on my own, I\u2019d find it really difficult because there are so many balls to juggle. And I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever been so close as sisters. The family get really fed up because whenever we get together for a family meal, they point out that Gill and I have been having a Let It Bee board meeting at the end of the table!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have fantastic support from our wider family,\u201d Gillian adds, \u201cJane\u2019s partner gets on his bike and does some of the local deliveries and her son has made some videos for us. Even our mum, who’s in her late 80s and lives in Swansea, tells all her friends. We call her our Welsh sales promoter!\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane\u2019s passion for bees and beekeeping grew over the years and, as well as running Let\u00a0It Bee, she\u2019s involved in the\u00a0Warwickshire\u00a0Beekeepers\u2019\u00a0Association and is the lead for education across Birmingham, encouraging and educating fellow beekeepers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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