John is part of the Berry family, which is a very big name in the New Zealand beekeeping industry. The Berry family own Arataki Honey, a large honey packing company located in Hawke Bay on the eastern side of the north island. At certain times in the history of this company the Berry family have had 4 generations working alongside each other. These days John runs his own business called Berry Bees and produces comb honey for the local market. John has also been involved with the Varroa sensitive hygiene program in New Zealand and has had experience testing and breeding from VSH queens.