Most people don’t know how inferior is the honey they buy from supermarkets and convenience stores, especially compared with our locally produced honeys. But once they discover how much more rich, flavoursome and healthy honey from natural South African beehives actually is they rarely go back to the mass-produced versions.
Here are 5 reasons why raw honey from a South African beekeeper will always be a great idea.
1. South African Raw Honey is Simply Better!
South Africa produces only 1,500 tons of honey each year, around half of what South Africans actually consume. The remainder of our demand has to be supplied from imports. Some of these imported products are acceptable substitutes (although rarely as diverse in flavor and richness), but many are produced in intensive production environments, the equivalent of battery chicken farming – where hives are packed together and instead of feeding on pollen from wild flowers, bees are often simply fed sugar or corn starch. By contrast, most South African raw honey comes from beekeepers that observe the best organic and natural production practices.
2. You Get to Explore a Treasure-Trove of Flavors and Textures
South Africa is blessed with a rich diversity of climates and is home to an extraordinary number of unique floral species. With such a wide variety of flora we are blessed with some of the most sublime, unique and rare honey in the world. Indigenous honeys include the white aloe davyana, dark buffalo thorn, Boekenhout, Montane Bushveld, Acacia Karoo, and of course many varieties of honey from our beloved Fynbos.
3. South African Bees are Special
Not only are there more indigenous and exotic floral varieties than we can mention here, Southern Africa is also home to its own species of bees. From the Cape Honey Bee to the notorious Scutellata, or African Killer Bee, each species brings its own trademark flavor to the honey it produces. So appreciate the work of the South African bee, not least because just a teaspoon of honey represents the entire life’s efforts of ten worker bees.
4. South Africa Boasts the Most Unspoiled Beekeeping Environments
Unlike many other parts of the world, South Africa still maintains large tracts of virgin bush, without contamination from chemical fertilizers or threats from genetically modified crops. Not only does that mean South African bees have a brighter future than elsewhere in the world, matched with South Africa’s unique flora our raw and organic honeys also offer more specific medicinal properties than as anywhere else on Earth.
5. You’re supporting a Truly South African Homegrown Industry
South Africa is home to around 400 commercial bee-farmers and an estimated 4,000 informal (traditional) beekeepers. Yet the country still under-produces honey by at least half of what it consumes. Translated simply, there are huge opportunities for beekeepers to establish and grow their businesses at every level of the economy. That’s good news not only for honey lovers, but also honey producers and aspiring entrepreneurs. From experienced beekeepers operating hundreds of beehives to beginners in previously disadvantaged rural communities every new beehive offers South Africa a new type of honey and the promise of a future thriving export market.
Local Really is Lekker
South Africa really does have a great deal to be proud of when it comes to our beekeeping industry. From a world of indigenous and exotic honeys to truly organic products from the beehive, this country still offers more than the rest of the world, yet also promises a brighter future for everyone that lives under its sun.
Here’s what we’ve got for you:
- The Widest Range of South African Raw Honeys
- Easy Online Ordering
- Fast Delivery Right to Your Door
