We believe all the best for our planet starts with our bees! Not only do we love the sweet, pure taste of honey in our morning tea and our favorite baked goods, but we love our bees, especially since they are such an important part of our food system.
The United Nations has said that of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world’s food, over 70 of those are pollinated by bees. But bee populations have declined, according to Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research, and among other factors, the EPA, USDA and others believe poor nutrition from loss of foraging habitats and pesticide exposure are two stressors driving this.
At Wholesome, we are trying to help protect our bees, and working with beekeepers and employing sourcing practices to help combat some of these stressors. First, all Wholesome Honey is Organic. Our honey is sourced from remote areas in Brazil, which is important because organic regulations require a 1.8 mile radius around the hive for a forage zone that can only be organically managed land (either wild areas or certified organic crops). Our honey is also BioChecked™ Non Glyphosate Certified™ – glyphosate is a widely used weed killer that some research indicates may impact bee colonies.
Wholesome Honey is also Fair Trade Certified™. In addition to adhering to the Fair Trade standards for responsible sourcing, our beekeepers receive Fair Trade premiums that they can use to invest back into their operations and communities. With these premiums and other funding support, our suppliers reported in 2022 to all have projects to support environmental restoration through education, training, hive protection efforts and the distribution of seedlings for reforestation. And one of our suppliers has even launched a reforestation project with the goal of planting 211,050 trees! They were recently honored by Apimondia (the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations) as part of their Trees for Bees campaign. Now that’s pretty sweet.
So many participants are involved in bringing our delicious, pure honey to your table, but it all starts with our friendly bees. All the Best for All. That’s Wholesome.
New Packaging Coming Soon!
