Meet Mellody, the Vegan Honey Company Aiming to Keep Busy Bees From Burning Out

Think about spending your total lifetime doing the grueling work of your 9 to 5. Honey all of the sudden doesn’t sound so candy anymore, does it? However don’t fear, there’s a scorching new alt-honey on the town that’s prepared to present our beloved hard-working bees the much-needed PTO they deserve. Meet Mellody, the vegan honey firm aiming to maintain busy employee bees from burning out. The very best half? You gained’t even have the ability to spot any variations; it’s actually that good.

4 causes to hunt options to bee-made honey

1. The industrial honey business places native bee populations in danger

Based on Darko Mandich, the CEO and co-founder of MeliBio, the dad or mum firm of Mellody, the present state of the industrial honey business is a bit…sticky. The business “makes use of invasive species of honeybees, like Apis mellifera, which can be trapped in bins and deployed in ecosystems the place they don’t belong,” Mandich says. This will have an enduring impact on the well-being of bees native to a selected area. “This has triggered pollinator gentrification that has led to the decline of 20,000 wild and native species,” Mandich says.

Based on Penn State College’s Middle for Pollinator Analysis web site, research present that within the U.S. alone, beekeepers have misplaced about 30 p.c of their colonies yearly since 2006, with whole annual losses reaching as excessive as 40 p.c. On prime of that, many populations of untamed bees are drastically declining, leaving many species threatened or endangered.

2. Environmental components are harming bee populations, too

Business beekeepers aren’t the one ones accountable for declining bee populations. Bees are additionally in danger as a consequence of different environmental components resembling local weather change, pesticide use, habitat loss, and illness. That is particularly regarding, contemplating bees are key pollinators liable for the survival of practically a 3rd of the meals we eat. For context, that’s about one in each three bites of meals. With out bees, we wouldn’t have most fruits, greens, or, worst of all, chocolate and low.  That is all to say, human-driven local weather change performs a vital function in harming already-dwindling bee populations.

3. Bees are exploited

It’s additionally contemplating why honey isn’t thought-about vegan by most people. For starters, the method of constructing honey is extraordinarily labor-intensive for all events concerned, particularly the employee bees. They spend grueling hours foraging for meals, transporting the nectar, feeding the larvae to assist the colony thrive, all whereas producing honey. Keep in mind, they principally dedicate their total lives to the craft.

And to not bee the bearer of unhealthy information, however many bees are killed — sadly, squished to dying — when honey is harvested.  A perspective from Folks for the Moral Remedy of Animals (PETA):”Benefiting from honey requires the manipulation and exploitation of the bugs’ need to stay and shield their hive. Like different factory-farmed animals, honeybees are victims of unnatural residing circumstances, genetic manipulation, and traumatic transportation.”

4. Some honey offered within the U.S. may not even be pure honey, anyway

The cherry on prime of all of it? A few of the honey offered within the U.S. isn’t even actual anyway, says Mandich. “The U.S. imports about 70 p.c of its honey provide—which implies that a lot of the honey we buy and eat comes from distant and travels by way of lengthy provide chains, creating a lot of alternatives for unscrupulous actors to dilute, tamper with, or outright fabricate a viscous amber substance that will get bottled and offered as ‘honey,’” Nicole Civita, a meals programs educator, legal professional, guide, and the co-author of Feeding Every Different: Shaping Change in Meals Techniques By Relationship, beforehand shared with Effectively+Good.

So, the place will we go from right here? Vegan honey, says Mandich.

The low-down on Mellody, the vegan honey taking cost

Mellody is a pioneer on the planet of plant-based honey—that is honey made sans bees. At present, the corporate gives two merchandise: Golden Clover, a clover-like, plant-based honey with floral notes, and  Spicy Habanero, a candy and spicy scorching honey with a kick of habanero spice. Each are made that includes a mixture of sugars and acids (primarily, fructose, glucose, and water) to realize the bee-made honey consistency, taste, and look.

How can consuming vegan honey assist the bees?

Though Mellody is simply getting began— t launched in spring 2023 together with the assist of its flagship buyer, Eleven Madison Park, a three-Michelin-star restaurant that went absolutely vegan in 2021—the intention is to make a dent within the industrial honey business to assist save the bees. “Bees are important to the existence of our planet and we got here up with a strategy to produce plant-based honey that is higher for bee biodiversity and higher for customers,” Mandich says.

Mellody is presently accessible in roughly 100 eating places and shops throughout the U.S., in addition to on-line at mellodyfoods.com. “We’re excited to develop into hundreds of factors of gross sales by the top of 2024,” Mandich says.

I attempted Mellody’s plant-based honey, and it’s so well worth the hype

I used to be lucky sufficient to get my arms on each of Mellody’s merchandise: Golden Clover and Spicy Habanero that are available a cute 12-ounce bottle with an easy-pour prime. And I’m so glad I did. As a meals author, I’m blessed with the chance to strive so many various meals in the marketplace, and having just lately attended Pure Merchandise Expo West for the primary time, a number one commerce present within the pure, natural, and wholesome merchandise business,  Mellody stood out amongst its many opponents.

From the superbly sticky viscosity to the sun-kissed golden hue, to the slow-motion drip proper out of the bottle, this product is a ten out of 10. Mellody actually nailed its bee-made honey imitation: If I carried out a blindfolded style take a look at, I critically wouldn’t have the ability to inform the 2 aside.

On the day-to-day, I’ve discovered myself gravitating towards the Golden Clover; it’s probably the most like OG honey, candy in all the proper methods, and extremely versatile. Mandich recommends drizzling it over candy and savory meals, in addition to mixing it into mocktails or cocktails. Or, his go-to strategy to get pleasure from it: soaked into baklava. Swoon. I’ve saved issues easy, drizzling it over berries or avo toast. The very best half? It really works in a 1-to-1 ratio to bee-made honey; no fussing with conversions obligatory.

All that mentioned, the Spicy Habanero is an actual sport changer. It’s SPICY; so beware, a bit goes a lengthy means. However in the event you like a candy and spicy kick, that is certain to be your new condiment BFF. Like Mandich, my favourite strategy to get pleasure from it’s drizzled over a slice of vegan pepperoni pizza. However once I’m feeling a bit further adventurous, a splash on prime of a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream is sheer perfection. IYKYK.

My solely suggestion: Remember the fact that Mellody crystallizes, similar to bee-made honey, so don’t be alarmed in the event you see just a few granules gathering on the backside, which I noticed proper from the get-go. Based on Mellody’s web site, all it’s important to do is place the bottle in a container of scorching, however not boiling, water for about 10 minutes. Repeat the method as wanted and don’t put it within the microwave. It’ll be clean like, umm, honey very quickly. And, my final piece of recommendation, run, don’t stroll, fam. This vegan honey product has me buzzing.