Organic honey

Best selection of organic honeys of Spanish beekeepers committed to the care of the environment.

Summary: Organic honey is the highest quality honey that does not contain any traces of agrochemicals. Therefore, it is a much purer and higher quality honey. We also have a fantastic selection of organic honeys in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid.

Related articles: We can achieve 100% organic honey. Raw unpasteurised honey.

1. Organic products

First of all, we have a fantastic selection of organic products at your disposal, including a wide range of organic honeys. In addition, our selection of organic honeys also come from beekeepers who are committed to quality and care for the environment.

Also, organic production is not only a better way of production, but has to be accompanied by other healthy practices. Therefore, we can also follow the following advice:

1. The consumption of organic products should always be accompanied by good nutrition, healthy lifestyles and quality products.
2. Organic products must also be of high quality. Consequently, we will eat well in this way and we will not put chemicals into our body that in the short and long term will have negative effects on our body.
3. Good organic food is much more expensive. However, from a nutritional point of view, we should study very carefully what we eat. In the long term, a good diet is essential to keep our health strong. Consequently, we will avoid many illnesses.
4. The fact that organic products are produced in nearby areas is very beneficial. As a consequence, we can help small producers and promote rural development.

In short, the consumption of organic products should go hand in hand with a good lifestyle. In addition, if the products are organic, they should also be of high quality. Also, if they are local, so much the better, as they promote our rural environment.

Photo 1: Mountains of Guadalajara.

2. Raw organic honey

Secondly, here you will find a fantastic selection of top quality organic honeys. Honeys from Spanish beekeepers committed to quality and care for the environment. Therefore, do not miss this fantastic selection of the best organic honeys in Spain.

a) Why buy organic honey?

Honey is one of the products we can buy that may contain traces of agrochemicals. For this reason, we should always consume organic honey.

First of all, organic honey is free of any chemical and antibiotic products that could be found in small traces in conventional honeys. Also, organic honeys undergo more rigorous controls by official certification bodies, conforming to national and European regulations.

More important than whether the honey is organic or not, is that the honey is of high quality and unpasteurised, i.e. we must buy raw honey from the year. Consequently, in addition to being organic, we must also make sure that the honey has not been pasteurised or mixed with other substitutes.

In summary, we can say that it is very important to ensure that the honey is organic, but that it is well preserved and as natural as possible.

Picture 2: Box with organic and non-organic honeys

b) Difference between conventional and organic raw honey

The differences between organic and conventional raw honey are analysed from three points of view: taste and aroma, quality and control.

Firstly, srom the point of view of taste and aroma, the differences between organic and conventional honey are non-existent. The fact that it is organic has nothing to do with the aroma or flavour.

Secondly, from the point of view of quality, if the two honeys come from serious beekeepers who do not manipulate it, the quality of an organic honey and a conventional honey would be the same.

Finally, from a control point of view, organic honey beats conventional honey. Organic honey undergoes much more rigorous controls by the state organism. Organic hives are visited and inspected at short notice and the honey batches are analysed very carefully.

c) Our varieties of organic honey

We currently have also a wide variety of organic honeys. Among them, we can find the following: Orange blossom, heather, lavender, lavender, strawberry tree, thousand flowers, rosemary and thyme.

In addition to these, we are gradually incorporating others. However, if we do not have them on the website, you can contact us to see if we have them in the physical shop. And if we don’t have them, we can look for them in our suppliers.

d) Gift of nature

In addition, honey, as a product that is obtained without harming any living being, is a true gift that nature gives us.

e) Support for the rural environment

Furthermore, all our beekeepers from whom we buy organic honey create employment and wealth in rural areas.

3. Production characterisitics of an organic raw honey

To summarize, the characteristics of an organic raw honey are as follows:

1. It comes from fields and forests where no pesticides not allowed for organic farming have been used.
2. It is filtered only by gravitation processes.
3. It is not heated to more than 95 ºC.
4. Neither filtered nor ultra-filtered
5. Stored in glass containers
6. Not pasteurised.
7. No added substances or additives.

a) Benefits of organic production for bees

Organic farming and the production of organic honey has also clear benefits according to new research by Dr. Wintermantel:

1. Increased quantity of floral sources
2. Presence of spontaneous flora
3. Greater diversity of wild plants
4. Less intoxication for the bees due to the non-use of insecticides.

4. Our variety of organic and raw honeys in Madrid

All our honeys that we offer in our business have been obtained by small beekeepers from Spain and Europe. We have chosen all our beekeepers because they are great lovers of nature and beekeeping.

We can assure this, since we have visited all the beekeepers. We can therefore ensure the quality of our honey. However, organic honey is subject to higher and more stringent quality controls.

In conventional honeys we have a much wider range. However, in organic honey we can offer you the following beekeepers:

Antonio Simón:

This beekeeper is located in the province of Madrid. He has at his disposal honey from heather, cantueso, chestnut, eucalyptus arbutus, multifloral, oak, rosemary and thyme.

• Antonio Simón Honey Awards:

Antonio Simón’s honey is also one of the most awarded at a national level. Among the most important awards, we can highlight:

• Winner of the first prize for dark honey in 2018. Navacerrada Town Hall
• Winner of the first prize for dark honey in 2018. Council of Navacerrada
• Winner of the XVII honey of Madrid. Winner of the first prize for dark honey.

These are some of the prizes he has won in recent years.

Moreover, it is  a corporate video of Antonio Simón

Video 1: Honeys of Antonio Simón

• Rancho Cortesano:

Beekeeper located in the province of Cadiz and has placed all its bees in the Natural Park of Sierra de Grazalema and in the Natural Park of Alcornocales. He offers us the honeys of orange blossom, heather, strawberry tree, oak and thyme.

Finally, if you are an ecological beekeeper and can offer us something different and of quality, please contact us to add your honeys.

Rancho Cortesano Honey Awards and Stamps

Ranch Cortesano honey has the following quality seals:

• Natural Park Mark
• Ecological honey
• Certified Honey

It is also a winner of prestigious grand prizes, such as:

• First prize for organic holm oak honey in the “2017 Expomiel Competition”.

Next we show you a video about this cooperative

Video 2: Honesys of Rancho Cortesano

5. Properties of ecological honeys

The properties of organic honeys will be the same as conventional honeys. However, traces of insecticides and other agrochemicals should be non-existent.

Also, when we talk about properties, we are talking about a popular wisdom and demonstrated by the experience of generations. Because the properties of a product can only be demonstrated by a pharmaceutical company, and honey is not a medicine.

Honey is a natural product that due to its characteristics of its composition and its components, will provide our health a series of benefits. Benefits that have today are widely used when people have throat infections and other discomforts.

Also, people who know this product also use this fantastic natural product in the making of creams. Like pharmaceutical companies promoting their products for their content of honey, propolis and royal jelly.

Photo 4: Beehives in a holm oak grove

6. Price of organic honey

The price of organic honey is always somewhat higher than that of conventional honey, because organic honey is not always as expensive as conventional honey.

Bees are highly endangered and have to be treated continuously, otherwise they die. Bees cannot sustain themselves. Throughout history, we have been selecting bees to form large honeycombs and because the hive is so large, they have very little chance of surviving on their own.

This, together with varroa, a mite that weakens the bees and transmits diseases, means that all hives must be treated. In conventional beekeeping, acaricides and antibiotics are used in doses recommended by specialists. A beekeeper cannot use chemicals on his own bees, they are prescribed the amount of antibiotics and other products that they can give to their bees.

In the case of organic beekeeping, they must use organic products to treat varroa and other diseases. These treatments are less effective and more expensive, increasing bee mortality and labour costs. Another thing about organic honey is its bureaucracy, as it is controlled, more paperwork is required, which is what makes organic honey of a higher quality, more controlled and more expensive.

7. Where can I buy organic honey?

Organic honeys are becoming easier and easier to find. Another thing is that it is of high quality. Among the places where you can find it, we have the following:

Table 1: Different options for buying quality raw organic honey.

In short, we have a wide range of places to buy quality honey.

Photo 5: Beekeeper of Apícola Moreno’s honeys

8. Frequently asked questions

Finally, we leave you the questions that you usually ask us:

• Do the bees suffer less because it is organic honey?

Honey is the only or one of the few foods that nature gives us without the death of any living creature. Both the extraction of organic and conventional honey does not kill any bees, and in both cases no harm is done to the bees. Therefore, a gift of nature.

• Should I keep it in the fridge once it has been opened?

Honey does not need to be kept in the refrigerator. I recommend keeping it in a cool, dark place, that’s enough.

Is it worth paying for organic honey?

This is a decision that depends on the individual. Some people think it is and others think it is not. Also, its taste and texture characteristics are the same as those of conventional honey. However, there is more governmental control on traceability in organic honey.

• Is there a difference between your organic honeys and those sold in Lidl, Carrefour and El Corte Ingles?

What we ensure is that our honey is truly organic and of the highest quality. To do this, we visit our beekeepers, their apiaries, extraction and packaging rooms. We also ask for their organic certificates.

In short, mostly Spanish honeys with more governmental control. In addition, we will gradually add more varieties of organic honeys.

“For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Consequently, we are happy to help you”.