BENCH MAJI HONEY PRODUCTS
Ethiopian honey is some of the best in the world and is considered to be “liquid gold” in some circles, sustaining hundreds of local harvesters and providing a skill for families to pass down through the generations.
Bench Maji honey products are divided into two main categories; Forest/Wild Honey and Coffee Honey, harvested in the Bench Maji Zone forest where traditional beekeeping is strong. It happens in a large forest covered area where trees produce a delicately flavored floral honey 2500 meters above sea level. Both types of honeys have their unique flavors and nutritional profile with an endless list of benefits.
Bench Maji Honey also has the potential to produce CRUDE HONEY and HONEY WAX with the following potential of production:
CRUDE HONEY
- Zonal Potential: 500MT
- The Union’s potential: 50MT
HONEY WAX
- Union’s potential: 15MT
FOREST HONEY
Bench Maji forest honey is regarded one of the best in Ethiopia with multiple benefits for farmers, consumers and the environment. Benefits include a higher antioxidant, antibacterial activity level, mineral content and greater nutritional and therapeutic benefits than most regular flower honeys.
This is a multi-flora honey derived from the flowers of seasonal organically-grown crops as well as wild flowers which makes our forest honey less sweet, pure and with medicinal properties.
Bee-keeping also offers additional income opportunities to our cooperatives members to improve their livelihoods by combining honey production with other agricultural activities, such as coffee and spices. This is important in rural areas such as Bench Maji, where income opportunities are limited.
COFFEE HONEY
Based on a study carried out by various researchers, bees prefer nectar with a small concentration of caffeine and nicotine over nectar that does not comprise these substances at all.
Bench Maji Coffee Honey is a product naturally originated from Arabica coffee flowers that grows and cultivated in the forest of Bench Maji region where our wild coffee plantation exists. Honeybees are attracted to the coffee flowers and enjoy their nectar in particular at the start of the rainy season when Arabica coffee plants flower, fragrant and white. The flavour is distinct, with a characteristic and delicate final note that is reminiscent of the coffee from where the honey is drawn.
CRUDE HONEY
Crude honey is the most original sweet liquid that honeybees produce from the concentrated nectar of flowers within Bench Maji forest. Most of the honey consumed today is processed honey that has been heated, filtered and altered from its original raw form. Unlike processed honey, raw honey does not get robbed of its incredible nutritional value and health powers. Bench Maji crude honey is exactly as it would come from the hive, pollen and all.
The health benefits of crude honey include everything from low energy to sleep problems to seasonal allergies. Using crude honey may even help weight-loss efforts when compared to diets containing sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Studies have also shown that a daily dose of raw honey raises levels of health-promoting antioxidants which can help block free radicals in the body that cause disease while boosting the immune system. Moreover, crude honey speeds up the healing process of wounds and ulcer, reduces the risk of developing diabetes and helps improve skin related problems such as dandruff with no side effects. It is a completely safe and natural solution.
BEESWAX
Beeswax is made from honey and is one of the products produced by BMCFU for domestic and export markets. It is one of the most valuable and oldest bee products to be used by mankind and popular in sectors like cosmetics, foods, pharmaceuticals, engineering and industry.
Beeswax is one of the primary exportable agricultural products of Ethiopia. The estimated beeswax production in Ethiopia is about 4,300 tons, making Ethiopia stand first in Africa and fourth in the world.
Beeswax is highly demanded both domestic and global markets, with an increasing trend of export value. The Bench Maji zone is endowed with very diverse and dense natural forests. This is a favorable environment for a dense honeybee population and enables the production of a large volume of honey with huge potential for production of high-quality beeswax.
This provides a worthwhile income for farmers in addition to honey, coffee and spices, helping to minimize risk associated with dependence on a single crop and contributing to boosting resilience.