NEWS

You often ask me which honey is quality and good, but what do we mean by this?

Let's explain it.

-First of all, what is quality?

It is the production of products that meet defined specifications in order to ensure the safety and satisfaction of the consumer - customer.

-What are the criteria that determine the quality of honey?

1) Objective criteria

They are those whose characteristics are measured in the laboratory with various instruments and are governed by legislation.

-Names (pine honey, cotton honey, etc.), description, definitions

- Chemical composition of honey (Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water, organic acids, etc.)

- Physicochemical characteristics of honey (fructose, glucose, moisture, electrical conductivity, HMF, dimension, etc.)

- Residues: drugs, acaricides, antibiotics, chemicals, heavy metals

2) Subjective criteria

They are perceived with each person's senses and vary according to their preferences.

These are: the taste, color, aroma and fluidity of honey.

GEORGAKA HONEY = TOP QUALITY

Why:

- Regarding the objective criteria:

1) HACCP procedures are followed to ensure food quality and safety.

2) Self-control

3) Collaboration with the beekeeping laboratory of AUTH for analyzes of objective criteria

4) Controls by the competent services

- Regarding the subjective criteria:

Continuous awards in international taste competitions

GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2016

GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2017

GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2018

OLYMP TASTE AWARDS 2018

GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2019

LONDON HONEY AWARDS 2019

OLYMP TASTE AWARDS 2019

INTERNATIONAL TASTE AWARDS 2020

Radio interview of Argyris Georgakas on flash 99.4 radio and radio producer Mina Afentoulis

Listen to the excerpt:

The Great Taste Awards in London are the world's most popular food and drink awards. In 2019, 12772 products from 100 different countries participated.

MELI GEORGAKA from Arnea Halkidiki won 2 1star Great Taste awards. This means they have been judged and given the designation: FANTASTIC TASTE

The critics' comments are flattering. Specifically:

Pine honey:

· Beautiful and good texture. Great pine flavor which has continuity and is very well balanced

· A honey with a pine aroma and a resinous taste that gives light to the palate

Orange honey:

Clear, bright appearance with a subtle orange aroma

More than 500 judges belonging to the field of gastronomy are the ones who give the awards which, in addition to a distinctive mark, the unmistakable black and gold label is a benchmark for a great tasting product discovered after hours of blind testing!

Winning such an important competition, and even consecutively every year, gives prestige to the products. We feel that our effort is recognized and we gain strength to continue producing for you honey of very high quality and taste!

We invite you all to try our products!

Sincerely,

Home Farmer

MELI GEORGAKA from Arnaia Halkidiki won the top prize at the international competition Olymp Taste Awards 2019

Specifically, it won 4 different taste and quality awards.

PLATINUM award (the highest distinction) for chestnut honey

GOLD award for Pefko honey

GOLD award for honey cream

SILVER award for flower honey

Sincerely,

Farmer family

Georgaka honey was distinguished among excellent honeys from all over the world in the London honey Awards 2019 competition and stood out by winning the GOLD AWARD for PINE honey and the BRONZE AWARD for ORANGE blossom honey.

They are particularly important prizes since the competition was exclusively about honeys, it is international and the committee is made up of specialized honey tasters from all over the world.

Every year the distinctions that our products receive are important since these competitions are international and recognizable by all those involved in gastronomy.

We are very happy and would like to thank you for responding by showing your preference for our products because the greatest prize is the nice words and positive reviews from you who choose us.

Sincerely,

Farmer family

Argyris Georgakas spoke on the TV of Thessaloniki TV1OO, on the show Perix with Vivi Andritsou and presented the honey of Halkidiki

Watch the excerpt

Argyris Georgakas gave an interview on ERT3 television and he talks about the varieties of Georgakas honey, the characteristics of each type as well as the international awards

Watch the excerpt

Argyris Georgakas talked about the awards, international honors and excellent varieties of honey on the show "Here we meet" on ERT2

Watch the excerpt

In a live connection, on the frequency of SKAI, the company MELI GEORGAKA was hosted, which presented its products and the awards

Watch the excerpt

First of all, let's say that the instructions must be given by your doctor.

Many of you ask for virgin honey because you were told it is good for diabetics.

And many beekeepers still believe the same.

ERROR. Not recommended due to high glucose concentration (>36%).

In general, if a diabetic eats honey, he should prefer the ones that do not crystallize.

HONEY vs SUGAR

There is a clear difference between common sugar and honey which is due to the way they are absorbed by the human body.

The sugars in honey are transported into the blood by active absorption (active transport), that is, transporters located on the surface of the villi cells of the intestinal tract, capture the fructose molecules and transport them inside the cells, leave it and return to get another. Thus, the rate of fructose absorption is basically determined by chemical transporter availability, occurs at a slower rate, and does not overstimulate insulin production

In contrast, the absorption of common sugar after its digestion takes place through osmosis. This means that glucose enters the bloodstream quickly and in high concentration, the body is suddenly "loaded" and this causes the pancreas to immediately produce insulin to "fuel" the sugars. In these cases there is a sudden change (crash back) to the lowest sugar concentration which is created by the hyperstimulation of insulin (production/rapid absorption of sugar).

Also, because honey is twice as sweet in taste as sugar, it is used in any case in a smaller quantity.

From the above data, it can be concluded that compared to sugar, honey creates fewer problems for diabetics, it can be used as a sweetener but always after the instructions of the attending physician.

source: beekeeping department of AUTH

The beekeeper should be distinguished for his passion for his profession or occupation, his love for the bee, respect for the environment and follow correct beekeeping practices. Some of them are:

The hunt for blooms, the good queen, the necessary inspections, keeping the products of the hive clean from chemical residues, ensuring water for the bees, attention to the honey harvest, its heating and its packaging.

The application of all these results in a product that is pure, natural, organic and unprocessed.

Honey is organic by nature and can only be spoiled by human intervention.

The difference between organic honey produced with proper beekeeping practices of conventional beekeeping and certified organic honey is that the latter is controlled and certified by specific agencies and is the only one that can carry the name "organic honey" on the label.

In Greece, only 1% of beekeepers are certified organic honey producers. In the rest of Europe this percentage is also very low, ranging from 0% to 16%

The reason for the low percentages is the high certification price demanded by the certification bodies.