What is honey?
Honey (Apis) is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. The sweet substance is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. This food is a popular culinary item that can be used in a variety of ways. For example, in your favorite tea, as syrup on pancakes, or even into your oatmeal as a natural sweetener. The thick, sticky, liquid has also been used as a home remedy for sore throats for ages. This substance made from bees is usually dark gold in color. There are many different variations of this popular food item. In fact, there are over 300 varieties of this decant food.
Where does honey come from?
Honey starts as flower nectar collected by bees, which gets broken down into simple sugars stored inside the honeycomb. The design of the honeycomb and constant fanning of the bees’ wings causes evaporation, creating sweet liquid honey. While this food is produced all over the world, China leads production. The flavor depends on the nectar collected by the bees. Different types of nectar will result in different flavors. This food produced by bees has been around for thousands of years. Cave painting found in Spain found that this food was around even in prehistoric times. Indeed, in Egypt, this food was seen as a sacred food, and as such, was used during religious and special ceremonies.
What is the global market for honey?
The global market for this sweet food was valued at USD 9.01 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% from 2023 to 2030. The global market was valued at over eight billion U.S. dollars in 2021, and is projected to reach about 12 billion U.S. dollars by 2028. China is the top producer of this food, followed by Turkey, Iran, and Argentina. In 2022, the United States was the greatest importer of this food worldwide followed by Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Indeed, these statistics suggest that this food is a hot item that is only set to grow in popularity over the next coming years.
How do you produce honey?
Honey is not grown but produced by bees who have collected nectar or honeydew. Bees value honey for its sugars, which they consume to support general metabolic activity, especially that of their flight muscles during foraging, and as a food for their larvae. The honey itself starts as the nectar of flower. From there, it is collected by bees and stored in the honeycomb. Excess moisture is then eliminated from the hive via evaporation as well as from the flapping of the bees’ wings. When the consistency is right, the bees will seal the deal with a wax capping. Pure African raw honey comes from wildflowers. More about the process can be found here.
How do you harvest honey?
Harvesting honey is referred to as extraction, which typically takes place once a year by skilled beekeepers. The process of extraction cannot easily be planned for ahead of time, so having the equipment you need on hand will make life easier when the time has comes. Generally the best time to harvest honey is when the flower are in full-bloom. Most honey produced commercially are on frames. To harvest the honey, you should pull the frames and extract the wax caps. This can be done using a capping scrapper or using a mechanical centrifuge/extractor. The honey should then be stored in a food safe container.
What can you do with honey?
This food has countless medicinal properties that naturally help in curing a sore throat. Its antioxidants and bacteria-fighting assets also help against fighting infections that are caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Honey has many health benefits and can be consumed daily to increase nutrition, lower the likelihood of diabetes, and help manage cancer. The natural elixir also promotes health hearts, helps with asthma and colds, and is considered an antioxidant. Did you know that you can also use honey on burns? It is also a natural sweetener.
How do you get started in this business?
Starting a honey business will require you to properly plan and prepare before starting any operation. You will need adequate resources to buy the materials and equipment you need. It is also useful to have some knowledge about beekeeping and the know-how of running a business in general. This business is quite lucrative if you read up on what you need to be successful. You can also get in touch with one of our organization development specialists who can guide you through the startup process. Already have a farm that you wish to expand? We’d be happy to help too.
