From beehive to breakfast table

After falling in love with beekeeping, Mats Olofsson set up Swedish Bee Company to celebrate and share the beauty of pure, premium and, most importantly, unprocessed honey. Or, as he likes to call it, ‘slow honey’.

By Emma Rodin | Photos: Swedish Bee Company

Aptly named The Honey of Sweden, this sweet produce comes not only from Olofsson’s bees, but from other bees owned by carefully selected beekeepers. “These partnerships make it possible for us to offer various types of honey that represent different parts of Sweden,” explains Olofsson.

The taste of a place

Much like wine, honey will carry nuanced flavours based on its place of origin. That is why each certified organic batch of honey from the Swedish Bee Company is unique in colour, taste and consistency.

It all depends on the nectar the bees collect, as well as the ground where the flowers grow. The bees are placed in sparsely populated areas of Sweden with a mixed landscape of woodlands, meadows and small farms. This ensures clean air, wa- ter and soil, which all have positive effects on the honey.

“We always let our bees keep some of the honey before we extract it, letting them finish their job naturally, as they have for millions of years. The way we work is the opposite of high-tech, processed food. It’s slow tech,” says Olofsson.

Thanks to quality equipment and careful, slow handling, the honey is harvested without any form of reheating, which helps to lock in its natural flavours and wonderful aromas.

An important ecosystem

Furthermore, while bees forage for nectar, they become covered in pollen. When visiting the next flower, some of this pollen will fall off and fertilise the flower. That’s why bees are crucial to the eco system: they create an environment where berries and fruit can develop and grow. www.swedishbeecompany.se

“The bees also bring pollen back to the hive in pockets on their hind legs. When passing through special pollen-collectors, some of the pollen falls off and we collect it. We then freeze, dry and rinse the pollen before it is bottled,” tells Olofsson. Both honey and pollen can be purchased online from the Swedish Bee Company. And for those looking to take things a step further, it is also possibile to buy bees and set up your very own colony at home.

Instagram: @swedish.bee.company