15 Countries that Produce the Best Quality Honey in the World
In this article, we will discuss the 15 Countries that Produce the Best Quality Honey in the World. You can skip our industry overview and go directly to the 5 Countries that Produce the Best Quality Honey in the World.
The honey industry involves the production and sale of honey, as well as other bee-derived products such as beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly. The industry has been growing in recent years due to the increasing demand for natural sweeteners and the health benefits associated with honey. Fortune Business Insights has forecasted the worldwide honey industry to increase at a CAGR of 5.83% from $8.53 billion in 2022 to $12.69 billion by 2029.
Within the honey market, different varieties of honey trade at different prices based on the plant species. Centauri Honey, for example, was named the most expensive honey in the world in 2021, with a price tag of €10000/kg. It is a type of cave honey obtained 2500 meters above sea level from medicinal herbs planted around the cave on which the bees feed. Its rarity, therapeutic properties, and nutritional value justify its premium price. At the same time, there are also varieties, such as clover honey and acacia honey, that are made from plants that can be found anywhere and sell for much more affordable prices.
Although honey is consumed worldwide, there are also some issues pertaining to the production and marketing of honey. In a recent study conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration, researchers found that out of the 144 samples tested, 10% were adulterated with sweeteners. Interestingly, 10% of the samples came from India and Vietnam, the primary sources of imported honey in the US. The problem of such adulterated or fake honey, especially from Asia, is the most common problem in the honey market.
Thousands of commercial beekeepers in the United States have also filed a lawsuit against the country's major honey importers and packers, accusing them of flooding the local market with hundreds of thousands of tons of counterfeit honey. Beekeepers have also accused the lab testing service and certification scheme auditors of participating in this fraud by employing antiquated detection methods. This issue has been in the news since Operation Honeygate of 2013, when the US Justice Department accused two large honey importers of shipping adulterated Chinese honey to the US through various Asian and European countries.
The Economist explains why current honey market rules are insufficient to address this issue. For example, although the FDA requires additives to be labeled as ingredients in the case of honey, it lacks a legal basis to enforce this regulation. The publication goes on to say that the FDA doesn't have a good definition of authentic honey to begin with, allowing ambiguity that permits manufacturers to harvest honeycombs before the honey fully ripens. Furthermore, the FDA only takes action against honey manufacturers if a potential food safety risk is discovered, and as of now, we cannot claim that these sweeteners are making the product "unsafe".
Our Methodology
To come up with the 15 countries that produce the best quality honey in the world, we sourced data from several websites, including Reddit forums and e-commerce websites, to create a list of the most expensive honey varieties in the world. Since the quality of honey can be subjective, we have used the price of the honey to judge the quality of the honey in this article.
We have ranked the honey varieties as per their origin country in ascending order, from least expensive to most expensive. Moreover, to standardize the quantity, we have used the price/kg of each honey variety and have made conversions where necessary in order to make a fair and comprehensible assessment.
15 Countries that Produce the Best Quality Honey in the World
15. United States
Tupelo Honey: $61.72/kg
The United States produced a total of 126 million pounds of honey in 2021. The country produces well-known honey varieties, including kiawe honey, eucalyptus honey, mountain wildflower honey, buckwheat honey, spring blossom chunk honey, and tupelo honey. Tupelo honey is the most expensive variety because of its rarity, as the Apalachicola River Basin, Florida, is the only place where tupelo trees may grow in large stands. The high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) rating is among its many advantages, which indicates that it has the amazing ability to shield the skin from damage caused by the sun and other environmental irritants. The United States is home to some of the biggest honey brands in the world, such as Barkman Honey LLC, Beeyond the Hive, and Dutch Gold Honey Inc. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) is a US-based multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation that produces and markets honey products.
14. Mexico
Avocado Honey: $63.45/kg
Mexico is one of the biggest honey exporters in the world. Mexican avocado honey is one of the rarest honey varieties in the world. It is produced by bees feeding on avocado trees growing in the world's largest and oldest avocado plantation, which is located 5000 ft above sea level in the Michoacan highlands of Western Mexico. The avocado honey provides immunity from pollen allergies of avocado and other flowers found within the region. It is also beneficial for the skin if used as a skin mask.
13. Australia
Manuka Honey MGO 100+: $107.9/kg
In Australia, honey bees may visit over 700 native blooming plants to gather nectar and pollen to make honey. The country is home to several famous honey varieties, including jarrah, banksia, leatherwood, mallee, and karri honey. Among all the varieties, manuka honey is the most expensive and is known for its health benefits and purity. The price of manuka honey varies depending on its MGO rating. Australia's most famous honey brands include Beechworth, Capilano, Aldi Bramwells, Woolworths, and Coles. Capilano Honey Limited (CZZ.AX) is an example of an Australian company that produces and sells honey and other bee-related products.
12. Nepal
Himalayan Honey: $120.5/kg
Beekeeping is practiced by more than 50,000 households in Nepal. The country has both multi-floral and uni-floral honey due to its diverse flora. There are also some unique honey varieties emanating from Nepal from fruit trees, such as citrus, wild cherry, and lychee. Among all the varieties, Himalayan honey is the most valuable due to its rarity and difficulty of obtaining it. The honey hunters of Gurung tribes climb 200-300 meters by hand-made rope ladders to harvest honey twice a year. It is produced by Himalayan giant bees that gather nectar from delicate rhododendron and wildflower petals, giving the honey psychedelic properties.
11. France
Opéra Garnier Honey: $129.6/kg
France is an excellent feeding ground for bees, and all 22 of its regions produce honey. Numerous honey varieties are produced throughout the nation, including Miel des Cévennes, Miel de Sapin des Vosges, Miel de Corse, Miel d'Alsace, and Miel de Provence.
The honey from Opéra Garnier is the most valuable as it is extracted from the roofs of Opéra Garnier, which is one of the most celebrated monuments in Paris, giving this honey variety a unique and symbolic background. Another reason why Opéra Garnier honey is among the most expensive varieties is its limited annual supply of 500 Kg.
10. Spain
Miel Lo Mejor del Bierz: $162/kg
Spain is among the leading European honey-producing countries. Several monofloral honey varieties are found in Spain, including orange blossom, rosemary, eucalyptus, thyme, and chestnut. The honey from the El Bierzo district in Spain is considered the most expensive honey in Europe because a huge amount of work is required to produce it. Honey bees have to travel almost 7,000 km to collect nectars from almost 200,000 to 250,000 flowers just to produce 1 kg of Miel Lo Mejor del Bierz honey. The honey variety is also famous throughout the Arab world because of its halal certification.
9. Russia
Bashkirian Honey: $130-220/kg
Russia is among the top honey producers in the world. The country produces a large variety of honey, including buckwheat honey, lime honey, broom-heather honey, and chestnut honey. The Bashkirian honey is the rarest and most expensive honey variety produced in Russia because it is produced at a high-altitude zone free of pollution and is only harvested once every year. Honey bees combine nectars from many plants, including a significant share of linden nectar, to create Bashkirian honey, giving it a distinctive flavor.
8. Ethiopia
White Honey from Tigray Mountains: $215.9/kg
Ethiopia is the biggest natural honey-producing nation in Africa. It is home to roughly 10 million wild colonies and about 6 million controlled bee colonies. The most distinctive type of honey in Ethiopia is the White Honey from Tigray Mountains, which has a particular flavor and color thanks to a variety of native plants that thrive there. The Tigray White honey is also expensive since it is produced in limited quantities, and the bees must go far distances for pollination because of the drought in the Tigray mountain region. Ethiopia also produces other famous honey varieties such as wenchi volcano honey, wolisso honey, shalala honey, and horde honey.
7. Thailand
Stingless Bee Honey: $216/kg
Even though Thailand is a relatively small supplier in the honey market, Thai honey is in demand due to its purity and quality. Among all the varieties, the Stingless Bee Honey is among the most valuable honey variety in the country. The high price of this honey is due to its therapeutic and psycho-chemical aspects. It has natural hydrating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial qualities that promote wound healing. Another factor that draws a lot of customers is the honey's high concentration of flavonoids and polyphenols in comparison to other honey varities.
6. Greece
Golden Thyme Honey From Ikaria: $250/kg
Greece has an advantage over other European honey producers in terms of quality since the majority of its honey originates from uncultivated environments that are devoid of chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. Some of the popular varieties of Greek honey include thyme honey, pine honey, citrus honey, fir honey, and heather honey. The golden thyme honey from Ikaria is considered one of the most expensive honey because the bees in Ikaria exclusively gather nectar from medicinal herbs, pines, and other local flora. The quantity of this honey is also limited because the Ikarian people still use the same harvesting method they did decades ago, which also keeps the quality of honey unchanged.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Countries that Produce the Best Quality Honey in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
