PUNTOITALY No31 - July 2022

Courtesy of Mielizia The only food that can have either an animal or a plant-based origin, honey has thousands of nuances between colours, aromas, flavours since it comes from the “work” that bees and other pollinators complete by flying from flower to flower. Bees are nourished mostly by the nectar that they gather from flowers, and they transform it into honey, an extraordinary product for its healthy properties and for its use in the kitchen and in pastries. It is 80% made of sugars, of which fructose and glucose prevail, and roughly 18% of water. Honey has an elevated sweetening power but contains fewer calories than sugar, therefore it is able to “sweeten” food while adding less calories. Furthermore, it is a perfect ingredient for both sweet and savoury dishes, in cocktails and in gelato. For years now, Conapi, the Consortium of Honey Beekeepers, is dedicated to supporting the biodiversity of Italian honey and to promoting initiatives to expand the consumption of honey beyond just during breakfast or at snack time. In the green of the Apennines Conapi, the National Consortium of Beekeepers is the co-op association made up of member beekeepers. It is the biggest national association of its kind in Italy, and it is one of the most important on a European level: 315 individual or collection businesses, over 600 beekeepers, with nearly 110.000 beehives all over Italy, which make anywhere from 2.000 to 3.000 tons of honey each year. The production headquarters is located in Monterenzio, in the heart of the Apennines near Bologna. With the brand Mielizia, it represents the only complete supply chain of Italian honey, and it is the most important producer of organic honey in Europe. 23

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