Jessica Locarnini: From a Curiosity About Honey to a Churchill Fellowship

Jessica Locarnini: From a Curiosity About Honey to a Churchill Fellowship

We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding achievement of Old Girl Jessica Locarnini (1991), who has been awarded a 2026 Churchill Fellowship to develop a national framework for training honey sensory experts and competition judges in Australia.

Jessica’s fascination with honey began in 2018, when a course in the United States which she signed up for out opf curiosirty sparked what would become a remarkable area of expertise. Her interest in bees, nature and flavour led her to undertake rigorous honey sensory analysis training in Italy, where she completed all levels of the program and became the first Australian admitted to the Italian Register of Honey Experts.

Jessica has since continued to build her expertise internationally, including training in competition judging with the American Honey Show Training Council. She now judges honey competitions across Australia, assessing honeys for their distinctive characteristics and quality.

Through her Churchill Fellowship, Jessica will travel to Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States to learn from leading organisations and experts in honey sensory analysis and competition judging. Her goal is to explore international best practice and develop a framework that can be adapted for Australia.

Australia is home to a diverse and highly regarded honey industry, yet there is currently no national pathway for training and accrediting honey sensory experts and competition judges. Jessica’s work aims to help establish this expertise here in Australia, creating opportunities for future generations to develop specialist skills using Australian honey.

Jessica’s story is a wonderful example of where curiosity, passion and a willingness to pursue an unusual interest can lead. Her Churchill Fellowship recognises not only her considerable expertise, but also her vision for sharing that knowledge and contributing to the future of an important Australian industry.

Congratulations to Jessica on this exceptional achievement. We look forward to following her Churchill Fellowship journey and seeing the impact of her work in Australia and beyond.