“If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.”
― Maurice Maeterlinck, The Life of the Bee
The big, beautiful Island of Hawaii has so much to offer, from magnificent nature landscapes and crisp sea breezes to local, fresh produce and a wide range of activities. There is something that lures travelers and expats from all over the world to this dreamy island, but what sometimes gets overlooked is the vast collection of organic produce and products.
Let’s take it back to the start. If it weren’t for bees, the ecosystem would seize to exist. That’s why the Big Island of Hawaii takes so much pride in their honey farming. The Hawaii Honey Festival takes place in September. During September, there is also a selection of bee-related events and educational programs.
The Honey Festival is festive in nature with arts and crafts, music, food, honey tasting competitions and beekeeping demonstrations, but aims to communicate a very serious message according to the Big Island Beekeepers Association’s secretary: “to give an awareness to the public of how important the bees are to agriculture, especially on this island where you have so many farmers”.
Organic Honey Farms on The Big Island of Hawaii
Royal Hawaiian Honey
The Royal Hawaiian Honeys are harvested by a family-owned honey farm on the Island of Honey and it’s 100% raw. They adhere to all the standards of sustainability by practicing organic farming. Royal Hawaiian Honey aims to connect each customer to the origin and history of honey while supplying them with a quality, artisan Hawaiian product.
Hanson’s Hawaiian Honey Bee
For this family-owned apiary, it’s all about the culture of wellness. They are focused on keeping the bees happy, productive and healthy. Their access to a wide range of tropical blossoms allows them to produce a variety of honey flavors.
Rare Hawaiian Honey Company
This honey farm produces the world’s rarest gourmet honey from the Kiawe tree. Their farm boasts with 1000 acres of this special Prosopis pallida tree, native to Ecuador and Peru. The Kiawe Honey is known for its delicate, creamy texture and tropical flavor. To be able to mimic the texture, other farmers would have to make use of machines, but this Rare Hawaiian Company Honey is 100% Organic and second to none of its kind.
Big Island Bees
This company offers a wonderful array of honey, foods and body care products. Big Island Bees are aimed at following the principles of the slow food movement and are advocates of producing and savoring one’s food. Their products are also 100% organic, as they believe that nature’s purest foods are the most nutritional and flavorsome out of everything that is man-made.