Bees are responsible for one in three bites of food we eat, and yet their populations are in freefall. To mark World Bee Day, we're shining a light on the small-scale ethical beekeepers behind our range, the extraordinary products they produce, and what sets genuinely raw, traditionally sourced bee products apart from anything you'll find on a supermarket shelf.
🐝 World Bee Day: Celebrating the Companies Behind Our Bee Products
To celebrate World Bee Day, we wanted to highlight some of the amazing bee companies that we work with and the remarkable products they produce.
Bees are among the most important creatures on the planet. The people who keep them, the traditions they uphold, and the products they produce deserve to be celebrated. At Raw Living, we only work with beekeepers who observe traditional methods and work to protect the bees and the vital role they play in our environment. Here's a closer look at who they are, what they make, and why it matters.
🌍 Why Bees Matter
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.
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.
🍯 Our Honey Brands
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 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 long prized in traditional medicine for its natural properties, 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, 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 beekeepers extract their honey from the comb through centrifugal forces as opposed to heat. Their mono-varietal honeys are never filtered, and are the kind of honey it is usually only possible to purchase direct from the beekeeper.
🌸 Our Bee Products
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.
🌿 The Nutritional Power of Bee Products
Bee products are among the most nutritionally dense whole foods available. Raw honey is rich in natural enzymes, antioxidants, amino acids and trace minerals including calcium, iron, zinc and potassium - all of which are preserved only in unpasteurised, unheated forms.
Bee pollen is one of nature's most complete foods, containing around 35% protein, all nine essential amino acids, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and a broad spectrum of minerals. It is one of the few plant-derived sources to contain vitamin B12.
Bee bread takes the nutritional profile of pollen further; fermentation breaks down the tough outer wall of the pollen grain, making its protein, minerals and B vitamins considerably more accessible. It is considered one of the most nutrient-dense fermented foods in the natural world.
Propolis is rich in flavonoids, phenolic acids and antioxidants, and has been used in traditional medicine across cultures for thousands of years. Its composition varies depending on the botanical sources available to the bees, making the sourcing and environment of the hive directly relevant to the quality of the propolis produced.
🎧 Learn More
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.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between raw honey and regular honey? A: Most supermarket honey is pasteurised. This process destroys many of the naturally occurring enzymes, pollen and beneficial compounds present in fresh honey straight from the hive. Raw unpasteurised honey is extracted without heat, leaving its natural composition intact. It often crystallises over time, a sign of quality rather than a flaw, and has a far more complex, varied flavour that reflects the flowers the bees visited.
Q: What is bee bread and how is it different from bee pollen? A: Bee bread is fermented bee pollen, pollen which bees have packed into the honeycomb and mixed with honey and nectar, where it undergoes a natural fermentation process. This fermentation breaks down the tough outer wall of the pollen grain, making its nutrients considerably more accessible. It is considered an even better source of protein than raw pollen, as well as being rich in minerals and B vitamins.
Q: What is propolis and how do you take it? A: Propolis is a resinous substance collected by bees from tree buds, sap and botanical sources, which they use to seal and protect the hive. It has been used in traditional medicine across many cultures for thousands of years and is long prized for its natural properties.
Q: Why are bees in decline and what can we do? A: The primary drivers of bee population decline are intensive monocropping, pesticide use, habitat loss and disease. Bees depend on diverse flowering plants for food, and large-scale agricultural monocultures leave them with little variety or nutrition. Supporting small-scale ethical beekeepers like those in our range is one direct way to contribute; they maintain traditional practices, avoid pesticides and prioritise the health of their colonies over yield. Buying organic produce where possible also reduces the pesticide load in the environments bees depend on.
Every bee product in the Raw Living range has been sourced with the same care the bees themselves put into making it. Browse the full range here.
