Beekeeping: The art of caring for bees turned into a profession.
Without honey bees, we wouldn’t be able to eat seasonal fruits or vegetables. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy the sweet taste of honey or make baked goods like bread and cakes.
But did you know that there’s more to this tiny insect than meets the eye?
There’s something beautiful in the way bees live. They’re industrious, hardworking creatures who don’t need much to survive; they just need the right conditions and a little help from their community, and they can thrive.
But something is inadequately different with our world today. Bees are dying at an alarming rate, and it’s threatening not only our food supply but also our very way of life. We need to help these creatures survive so that they can continue to pollinate plants and help us grow fruits, nuts and more!
The Swedish Bee Company is just doing that. Mats Olofsson founded the company in 2018. Mats had a vision. one that was shaped by his love for nature, an appreciation for the craft of beekeeping, and an understanding of the unique offerings of Swedish honey. But it wasn’t until he started the Swedish Bee Company that he was able to bring that vision to life.
By embracing a “Slow tech” approach, they allow nature and the bees to take their time in creating flavors and colors that are unique to each harvest. With this dedication, Mats hopes to become a honey sommelier, sharing the best of Swedish honey.
Swedish Bee Company and Mats Olofsson’s journey to becoming a honey sommelier. It is a story of passion, dedication, and commitment to bringing the best of Swedish honey to the world.
Unwind and Enjoy—A Nice Read Awaits You!
From Our Very Own Bees
The Swedish Bee Company is committed to providing the best and most flavorful tastes possible. They sell Swedish honey under their own brand, The Honey of Sweden. They produce this honey with the help of their own bees and other carefully selected beekeepers, but they also collaborate with other companies to provide different types of Swedish honey.
From Hobbyist to Honey-Sommelier – A Journey of Sweet Rewards
Mats Olofsson started with bees in 2015, intending to have one colony in his backyard. Fascinated by their work and the important role they play in nature, he jumped on a professional beekeeping training course. In 2018, he founded the Swedish Bee Company to combine his previous professional experiences with beekeeping and its fabulous product, honey.
The focus of the Swedish Bee Company has been to offer “The Honey of Sweden” to an international audience. To better serve this goal, he is currently taking classes in honey sensory to develop his taste and aroma sensitivity to different kinds of honey and become a honey sommelier. This is to be able to offer the best honey there is, with high diversity.
Major Key Factors
Best locations: The Swedish Bee Company selects the best locations for their bees, such as remote areas with clean air, water, and soil.
Natural methods: They keep the bees healthy and strong through natural methods, so they can focus on collecting nectar and pollen rather than fighting pests and diseases.
Allowing them to harvest at their leisure: They allow the bees to harvest at their leisure to ensure that the honey matures naturally.
Best possible equipment: The Swedish Bee Company invests in the best equipment for extracting and handling honey without compromising its quality.
Expert beekeepers: The company collaborates with the beekeepers.
Safety: They ensure each batch of honey is laboratory tested for safety.
Building Blocks of Success
To work in harmony with nature: They want to keep honey as natural as possible all the way to the consumer because it is a completely natural product ready to eat from nature.
A minimum of processing: A gentle treatment catered to keeping the natural flavors, aromas, and wholesome elements in the honey.
Care for the bees and keep them healthy: There are several natural and man-made threats to bee health. The company takes the necessary precautions to help the bees by using natural organic pest control methods and keeping a safe distance from pesticide-treated fields.
It must be real: They don’t cut corners at the expense of quality. They use high-quality equipment and allow the bees to work at their own pace. It may take more time and effort, but it is well worth it.
Natural is the Way
This is a non-processed and natural food, as opposed to highly processed factory-produced food. They don’t mix honey to make them all look the same. Every harvest is unique, and once it is over, it does not return. Instead, there will be new honey.
Adapting to Evolving Tech with Traceability and Unique Tastes
Traceability is important. They want to be able to show the consumer where the honey in the bottle they are holding comes from, all the way down to the bee yard. They believe that this, combined with a description of the honey’s distinct flavor, will provide the consumer with a complete experience. Today’s use of smartphones in every pocket also gives opportunities to offer a lot of product information just by providing a QR code for people to scan.
Transform Challenges into Growth Opportunities
During the summer beekeeping season, we must constantly adapt to nature. The effects of the sun, rain, cold, and heat on bees. Swedish Bee Company always has a plan in place, but they are aware that it will need to be changed. However, this also serves as the foundation for the variety of honey available.
Scaling Up: Exploring the New Markets
They want to expand into a variety of markets and industries. HoReCa, or the hospitality sector, as well as high-end retail stores. Their goal is to offer various types of Swedish honey that represent Sweden as “The Honey of Sweden.”
They have the capacity to tap; this is not a bottleneck. They will intensify their search for different batches of high-quality Swedish honey from different parts of Sweden.
Celebrating Success: Clientele
Examples of where the products are sold today:
- The Gargantua shop at Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
- Ginza Matsuya department stores Tokyo.
- Nordic Temptations shop, Antibes, France.