About our natural, unheated, and pure local Japanese honey

• 1. First and foremost, the environment where the bees can thrive is essential.

  The biggest risk to bees, regardless of region, is pesticides. If eonicotinoid pesticides are used nearby, the entire bee colony will inevitably be wiped out. Even pesticides labeled as 'safe for bees' can be brought back to the hive, where the bees gradually accumulate them in the beeswax.

  BeeCamp Hachimitsu is located in an environment that is as close to organic as possible, like Izumi Natural Farm, which practices natural farming, allowing the bees to fly around energetically.

  

• 2. Managing bee health is also crucial.

  Currently, another major issue facing Western honeybees worldwide is the Varroa mite, which brings various diseases to bees. Managing this mite is essential, as doing nothing will quickly lead even healthy colonies to decline.

  We implement countermeasures primarily before the honey collection starts in the spring and after the summer honey harvest through the winter.

  

• 3. Feeding is essential, but we feed only the bees.

  Before flowers start blooming in spring, and during times when flowers are scarce, such as in midsummer or late autumn, we provide sugar water and pollen patties for the bees. However, during the period when they are storing the honey that we consume, we remove all feed to ensure that no sugar or other substances mix with the honey. This is part of our commitment to producing pure honey.

  

• 4. We only take matured honey.

  We use dedicated honey storage boxes (honey supers) and only harvest honey that has been capped and matured with a moisture content of about 18%. While this method only allows us to harvest a few times a year, it ensures that we get delicious honey."

  

• 5. To ensure pure harvesting, we use a queen excluder.

  We place a board called a queen excluder under the Honey Super to prevent the queen bee from climbing up and laying eggs in the Honey Super, ensuring that bee larvae and other contaminants do not mix with the honey. This allows us to harvest the pure honey we desire.

  

• 6. We only harvest honey twice a year.

  We harvest the precious honey, that bees have diligently produced, only twice a year: spring honey (including cherry blossoms and Iyokan citrus Neroli) and summer honey (with a variety of flowers). The remaining honey is left for the bees for over-wintering.

  

• 7. Almost unfiltered.

  By using a finer filter mesh to increase clarity, we can produce very clear and highly transparent honey; however, this process removes the pollen contained in the honey. Our honey retains its natural pollen, which is said to help alleviate hay fever symptoms when consumed locally.

  

• 8. No heat treatment.

  Many commercially available honeys undergo heat treatment. Since honey can be difficult to work with when it’s crystallized and at room temperature, it is typically heated to around 60°C to make it fluid before being bottled. However, this process destroys valuable nutrients such as gluconic acid and oligosaccharides, which help promote beneficial gut bacteria and boost immunity, as well as enzymes and antioxidants that are beneficial for health. Additionally, heating can diminish flavor and introduce a harsh aftertaste. Our honey is unheated and is quickly bottled one jar at a time right after harvesting.

  

• 9. Japanese, completely additive-free and pure.

  More than 95% of the honey sold in Japan is imported.
  We keep bees, bottle, and sell our honey ourselves in Matsuyama, Ehime, on the island of Shikoku.

  Many imported honeys are diluted with additives such as glucose syrup to increase volume.
  Our honey is completely pure and free of any additives—just real, natural honey.

  

• 10. Eco-friendly packaging.

  The labels are made from Iwazaki washi paper from Uchiko, Ehime, and are hand-crafted by local artists using natural glue. We cover the lids with hemp cloth that also serves as a bottle holder, and finish them with hand-made hemp string bracelets by Maria, which can also be used as friendship bracelets in pairs. For packaging, we use 100% recycled cardboard boxes made in Ehime, deliberately avoiding the use of synthetic inks. Returned empty bottles will be sanitized and reused (however, please recycle the bottle caps yourself).

  

• 11. Storage at Room Temperature

  Our honey is unheated and pure. Please store it indoors, avoiding direct sunlight. Honey is naturally a preserved food, so it has no expiration date, but it may crystallize and solidify over time. If this happens, you can return it to its original state by gently warming it in a water bath at bathwater temperature (around 40°C). Did you know? Honey does not crystallize in the freezer, but it will crystallize quickly if refrigerated.

  

• 12. Honey should be introduced after weaning.​​

  The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare advises against giving honey to infants under one year old. This is because, in infants who have not been weaned, their gut flora is not yet fully developed, which can allow Clostridium botulinum bacteria to multiply and produce toxins. (For adults, even if botulinum bacteria enter the body, they are outcompeted by other gut bacteria, so it doesn’t pose a problem. In addition to honey, foods that are preserved with simple processing, as well as homemade canned or jarred foods, can also contain botulinum bacteria.) Honey has such a gentle sweetness that adults may be tempted to give it to infants, which is why this warning is especially emphasized.