Jessica Locarnini

Through beekeeping, I discovered honey sensory analysis almost by accident in 2018, signing up for a course in the US out of curiosity. It combined so many things I love, bees, nature, flavour and how landscape can be tasted through honey.

Following that curiosity was life changing. After completing all levels of Italy’s rigorous honey sensory analysis training, I became the first Australian admitted to the Italian Register of Honey Experts. I also trained in competition judging with the American Honey Show Training Council and now judge competitions across Australia.

I love sharing my knowledge through masterclasses, judging and working with beekeepers. Helping people discover how diverse honey can be, sometimes by tasting different honeys for the first time, is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

My own journey exposed a problem. I travelled overseas and learned with foreign honeys because training doesn’t exist in Australia. Competition judging faces similar challenges, with knowledge passed informally and no consistent development pathway. There’s demand in the passionate apprentices and volunteers I work with, but when they ask where to go next, I have nowhere in Australia to send them.

My career outside the honey world, in marketing, strategy and organisational change, has taught me that lasting impact means bringing people together and building something they can sustain.

Through my Churchill Fellowship, I want to learn from leading organisations and bring those lessons home to help develop a pathway suited to Australia’s people, industry and honey.

Most importantly, I want the next curious Australian to have opportunities I didn’t have. To learn here, develop skills using Australian honey and, hopefully continue passing that knowledge on.

Australia already produces world-class honey. My ambition is for us to become equally known for our expertise in assessing it.