To celebrate World Bee Day, we wanted to highlight some of the amazing bee companies that we work with.
World Bee Day is observed on 20th May each year to draw attention to the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy. It provides an opportunity for people everywhere to promote actions that will protect and enhance pollinators and their habitats, improve their abundance and diversity, and support the sustainable development of beekeeping.
Did you know that there are over 20,000 species of bee in the world? Honey bees gather nectar from four million flowers to make 1 kilo of honey. Close to 75% of crops are dependent on bees as pollinators. But due to intensive monocropping and extensive pesticide use, the bee population is currently in rapid decline, endangering our biodiversity.
At Raw Living, we only work with beekeepers who observe traditional methods of bee-keeping and work to protect the bees and the important role that they play in our environment.
We stock three brands of honey. Bee Baltic works with small-scale local beekeepers in Lithuania, following sustainable and ethical practices. Founder Paul left a finance job in the city of London, to return back to the Baltic and follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a custodian of the beekeeping traditions. As well as honey, Bee Baltic produce propolis tincture and gum, nature's number one antibiotic, and a selection of beautiful beeswax candles.
Magic of Spain bases their business around a beekeeper they met while camping in the Pyrenees in the late 90s. They know all their beekeepers personally, and now as well as Ramon, they work with Antonio who has hives in the mountains north of Madrid, and Luisa and Mario who live in bear country in north west Spain. Like Bee Baltic, they only carry raw unpasteurised honey, made by bees who are free to roam wild, and never treated with antibiotics or pesticides.
Seggiano work with artisanal Italian farmers to produce truly raw honey: unheated, unpasteurised, nothing added and nothing removed, as close as possible to the condition it was in when it left the beehive. Their Italian bee keepers extract their honey from the comb through centrifugal forces as opposed to heat. Their mono-varietal honeys are never filtered, and the kind of honey it is usually only possible to purchase direct from the beekeeper.
Our Raw Living Organic Bee Pollen comes from Transylvania, where there are less than 100 bee colonies, living in a large area with a big floral multitude. There is no intensive agriculture in this area, and the type of bee that is bred is Apis Melifera Carpatica, a gentle bee that allows the beekeepers to work without any protection.
Our Wild Bee Bread is produced in western Lithuania, in meadows that are 80km from the nearest city. Bee Bread is fermented bee pollen mixed with honey, and is considered an even better source of bioavailable protein than pollen, as well as minerals and B vitamins.
To learn more about the wonderful bee companies we work with, click on the "Further Info" tab of any product description. You can also click on the "Podcast" tab of Bee Baltic and Seggiano to hear an interview with the respective founders. Or take this fun educational quiz to see how much you know about apiculture!
World Bee Day Offer! Use the code WELOVEBEES23 at checkout to get 25% off Raw Living Bee Pollen 250g or Raw Living Bee Bread 100g & 250g . One use per customer only. Cannot be used with any other discounts, including loyalty points. Valid from 8am Thurs 18th May until midnight on Sun 21st May.
