This story was recently shared with us by the passionate people from L’Atelier du Miel. We were quite intrigued to learn that Lebanon is one of the best honey producers in the world! Who knew? The other thing which makes this story interesting to us is the sustainable and eco friendly work approach and opportunities that this honey production has created across Lebanon.
We are going to keep this short, sweet and straight to the point as we do here at BBS.
Lebanon, the land of honey: is one of the only countries in the world where bees can find natural sources of nectar all year long. Because of the diversity of its altitudes (from 0 to 3000 meters), its position on the Mediterranean, its 4 distinct seasons, and the diversity of its flora, flowering seasons occur almost all year long. As a result, Lebanon’s honey is one of the best in the world.
Lebanon’s Honey Path: To produce natural honey, L’Atelier du Miel has adopted a unique production method whereby it repositions beehives all year long across Lebanon to follow flower blossoms. Thereby, bees harvest nectar and honeydew from Cedars in Barouk forests, Oak trees in Keserouan forests, from fields of cherry in Zahle, peach and apricot trees in Rechmaya, hawthorn in Kab Elias, thorns in Ain Dara, Medlar trees in Saida, and orange trees in Tyre and Akkar. The bees are moved from one location to the other all year long depending on the seasons. This enables L’Atelier du Miel to offer 15 types of 100% natural honeys, with various aromas and countless virtues, free from any additives and pesticides.
L’Atelier du Miel aims to re-integrate natural honey into people’s lives. It has also revisited many delicacies by replacing industrial sugar with natural honey in them. These include jams with only natural fruits and honey, nougats, marrons glaces, and many others. Virtues of honey produced in Lebanon: Unlike countries with industrial agriculture that grow only a single crop for hundreds of kilometers, Lebanon still “wild” nature and agriculture allows to have in a single field hundreds of wild flowers, fruit trees, leafed trees (e.g. oak), wild thorns, which adds a lot of diversity to the honey, unlike European fields.
Empowering Local Farmers and Beekeepers: L’Atelier du Miel works with local beekeepers and young farmers freshly out of university, providing sustainable and eco friendly work opportunities across Lebanon. L’Atelier du Miel Boutique: L’Atelier du Miel opened its one of a kind boutique in Lebanon. The boutique was conceived by Marc Bou Nassif, beekeeper and architect. The boutique is solely dedicated to honey where you can find 30+ different types of honeys. It is managed by real young beekeepers who work with a web of small artisans across the country (including carpenters, regional creators – glass, brass, wood, small beekeepers, small farmers, etc.), and following fair trade principles.
To find out more about this honey sweetness visit: www.atelierdumiel.com or swing by their Facebook page.
