About honey
All our honeys come from beekeepers who have been working with bees for generations. Their methods have not changed for centuries, apart from the introduction of electricity. Their bees are like their pets: they treat them lovingly and give them only the best food. This means that the bee hives are moved around the landscape in the back of a truck 'chasing the flowers' to be re-sited in the best place (see the brilliant Greek film The Beekeeper). The bees are never fed artificially or with sugar. The honeys are all organic, as the bees are always placed in wild areas far from roads and other pollution - often on hill tops or valleys. But only a few beekeepers have the resources to get organic certification. Nevertheless the quality and taste speak for themselves. The honey is obtained by manual centrifugation of the hives; there is no filtration or heating, so the honey is 'raw'. This means all the enzymes, antioxidants, antimicrobials, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and - naturally - aroma and flavour are preserved. Five of our Honeys have won prestigious Great Taste Awards! They include: Thyme, Pine, Sage, Fir Tree, Oak, Orange Blossom, strawberry Tree, wild flower, Erica flower (Reiki) honey.
History of domestic bee keeping in pre-historic Greece:
Health aspects of good honey, see Functional (Health) Properties of Honey, Propolis, and Royal Jelly
Benefits of Erica Honey: Erica honey is known for its antibacterial and antioxidant properties; it aids healing of wounds and some believe it may have anti-cancer properties. This raw honey has natural enzymes such as glucose oxidase which result in by-products such as hydrogen peroxide which exert antiseptic actions. It is extremely effective against sore throat, cough, sinus, allergies, childhood fevers and prostatitis. Beekeepers know how good this honey is for health - they feed their bees on it in order to triple their life expectancy! The beekeepers believe it to be as good if not better than Manuka honey for health.
Strawberry tree honey: It is known traditionally in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean for its medicinal properties. it is packed with polyphenols - particularly homogentisic acid, which contributes to the bitter taste. It is one of the most highly antioxidant and antibacterial honeys in the world, probably better than Manuka honey. It results in a slower rise in blood sugar than most flower honeys (comparable to a tree honey such as pine, fir or oak tree honey), and so is often preferred by people on diets or diabetics. It is good for the lungs.