Ali Al Danhani is probably the face of beekeeping and natural honey trade among this generation of Emiratis. His bee sanctuary in Dibba Al Fujairah is known for using wild bees to produce natural nectar that is believed to have several health benefits.

It was quite natural that his family business found a place to exhibit their honey products at the UAE’s first-ever Honey Festival that began in Hatta on Wednesday.

Al Danhani’s son, Abdullah, represented his father, who was away in Saudi Arabia to promote their honey business at Al Janadriyah Festival, the biggest cultural and heritage festival in the kingdom.

“We have buyers from all neighbouring countries. So, he had to go to Saudi and I was sent here,” Abdullah told Gulf News.

He said his father had been running the bee sanctuary and honey business for over three decades. And the secret behind the popularity of their honey is the hard work put in by each and every member of the family.

“We do almost all jobs by ourselves. Workers are used only to move the heavy stuff. They don’t touch honey. My father and we brothers work in the farm while the ladies help us with bottling and packaging at home. But nobody touches honey with hand. We take special care in giving the most natural honey in very good quality.”

The dozen-member honey squad, including the parents and children, are engaged in the honey business every summer and winter.

“The entire family is into this business. Our farm stretches to three-four kilometres. Our work starts when trees start flowering. We have a very big majlis exclusively to keep honey. The air-conditioning works 24 hours there. The bottles are filled in our home. We sell honey from home. We also have drivers to take them to markets. We sell honey at Global Village and at all cultural and heritage events and stalls.”

Abdullah said the number of Emirati families engaged in honey business is dwindling. “There are hardly 100 of them. Not many people are interested because of the hard work involved.”

Money from honey

But for those who work hard, honey brings in good money, agrees Mohsin Al Ameri of Dar Al Shifa Honey from Al Ain. Honey trade has been his livelihood after he left his job in the army.

Good quality natural raw honey fetches Dh500 to Dh1,000 per litre. Mountain honey is costly and the price goes up for the varieties with less yield.

Eight years ago, Al Ameri joined his brother, who has been in this business for over two decades, and now has nine shops selling honey in Abu Dhabi. “Insha Allah, I will open the next shop in Sharjah next month,” he said.

Al Ameri is part of a WhatsApp group of some 70 Emiratis engaged in honey trade. The new generation is making use of the technology to keep themselves abreast of the market and to coordinate with others.

However, beekeepers and honey traders lack in the support of an official association or society like the one available for fishermen, he said. He welcomed the idea of having an organisational set-up to represent the honey traders and raise their issues to the relevant bodies. “When we get more support, it will also encourage more Emiratis to enter this business and keep this tradition.”

Meanwhile, events like the Honey Festival by Dubai Municipality, Abdullah said, will definitely boost the age-old honey trade, which was once very popular in different parts of the UAE.

“We need such programmes to show the world the real Emirati honey. There are many types of honey in the market. But not everything is Emirati honey. People don’t know the difference. Events like this will help in that.”

According to him, the two major locally available honey varieties come from Sidr and Samr trees. Another rare variety is Shamaa honey.

Al Ameri suggested hosting the festival in other parts of the country as well where beekeeping and honey making is popular. Apart from Hatta, known as the heart of honey trade since ancient times, mountainous areas in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah and some areas in Al Ain are also known for honey making.

Varieties galore

The UAE’s first Honey Festival in Hatta is indeed a celebration of honey in its various forms. Exhibitors from the UAE and abroad showcased a large variety of honey and honey products.

The Samr and Sidr local varieties of honey and their honeycombs were the highlights at some of the Emirati stands. Some of them also featured the rare type of white honey.

Apart from different varieties of honey, visitors got a chance to taste honey straight from cakes of fresh honeycombs.

Balqees Honey from Yemen showcased varieties that included fusion of honey with other natural ingredients.

“We fuse raw honey with many things like ginger, cinnamon, black seed and saffron. These fusions have amazing healing properties and health benefits,” said Ssemwanga Farooq, a representative of the company.

Royal Honey from Al Malaky Group, a Syrian firm that has been in the honey business for over three decades, showcased various premium and innovative honey and bee products.

Luxury boxes of honey for hotels and sweet shops, Sidr honey with nuts, propolis candy, jelly with palm pollen, sage extract and lavender as well as eucalyptus honey with propolis, jelly, anise and black cumin were some of the varieties on display at their stand. The company also produces shampoos and soaps with honey as the base.

“We are offering luxury packages because Dubai is looking for the best quality in everything. We have Sidr and Samr honey from the UAE in luxury bottles in premium quality. Our honey with nuts is an alternative for vitamin [pills] for children. The propolis candy and drops help children relieve of cough,” said Ebrahim Al Masri of Royal Honey.

How to detect pure honey

Checking the purity of honey is a tough job even for experienced people in the industry, according to Ammar Al Masri, general director of Royal Honey from Al Malaky Group.

“It is very difficult to find out if the honey is extracted from natural flowers or taken after feeding bees with sugar. This can be detected only in laboratories,” said Al Masri, whose firm has been in the business for over three decades.

But there is a way to know if the honey that you are buying is natural, he said. “Natural raw honey will be in crystallised form. People may mistake it for sugar. But, it is not sugar. The crystals will melt if you keep the bottle in warm water. Then you will get the pure natural honey,” said Al Masri.

The majority of commercially sold honey has been processed and refined. Most of the honey found in the supermarkets are not raw honey but ‘commercial’ honey which has been pasteurised (heated at 70°C or more, followed by rapid cooling) and filtered so that it looks cleaner and smoother.

It is more appealing on the shelf and easier to handle and package. However, experts say pasteurisation destroys all beneficial enzymes, nutrients and antioxidants in honey. Hence, raw honey is more nutritious than honey that has undergone heat treatment

source : gulfnews