Creta & Bee

Honey Producer

I was born and raised in Chania, Crete. I studied at the School of Agricultural Technology and for 11 years I worked as an Organic Controller. Due to personal and professional interest, I became involved in beekeeping as an amateur.

Observing closely the highly organized bee community opened up a huge field of knowledge and action for me. The hours pass effortlessly and the bees transmit to me their calmness and discipline.

Beekeeping became a way of life and without much thought it became a way of livelihood. In recent years I maintain about 150 productive beehives which I move according to the season in various areas of the Cretan countryside.

Working Group

The farm is exclusively family run. On weekends and during the summer school holidays I have my three sons as helpers. They have been introduced to the world of beekeeping from the age of 4-5 years, gaining knowledge, passion and a huge love for bees. Meeting them was a unique experience, the children were enchanted learning from a young age the value and offer of the bee.

Our philosophy

Beekeeping is mainly aimed at producing a quality product with high nutritional value. For the protection of man (producer and consumer) the honey produced is free of chemicals as gentle beekeeping is applied without the use of insecticides. The protection of bee colonies and the development of new ones, helps the pollination of the flowers and their subsequent fruiting, ensuring the biodiversity and the balance of the ecosystem.

Production process

The end of winter and the gradual increase of temperature marks the beginning of the beekeeping season. Spring with numerous flowers gives impetus to the queen and begins to lay eggs, the bee population gradually increases.

There is intense mobility in the hives as the bee is at its most critical point. Young bees take care of the queen, eggs and larvae while older bees produce wax, build honeycombs, store food, guard and collect.

At the end of spring the bees have completed their development and are ready to be transported to a higher altitude (1,000m) in the area of Omalos. The bees take advantage of the richness of aromatic plants and flowers that grow on the Cretan slopes and collect the precious nectar.

In mid-August, the honey is harvested from the hives and completed in the warehouse using a honey extractor, the honey is centrifuged and extracted from the crates. The honey produced has not been filtered or heat treated, it is a pure product with a characteristic and unsurpassed taste. It is then packaged and available in our store.

Organic production

For several years now we have been following practices according to the standards of organic beekeeping. In many areas our standards were even stricter as the goal was to produce a completely natural product. The effort has many recipients who recognize the hard work behind the final product. To confirm our actions, we called the organic farming certification body "DIO" to certify our beekeeping unit. Certification strengthens the three main pillars of our philosophy which are the production of safe and healthy food, the protection of the environment and the protection of the health of farmers and consumers.

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Store

Platanias Old Village, Chania

In 2017, a store was created with Cretan traditional products in the old village of Platanias in the municipality of Platanias. Recognizing the need of the people to procure pure Cretan honey and other Cretan products, this effort began in a beautiful, picturesque and historic village. The store is located on the road to the old village of Platanias, 50 meters after the typical carob tree in the middle of the road. It is an old stone building which has perfectly matched our philosophy.

In the store you will first of all taste the honey of our production, you will be informed about the method of production but also the special beneficial properties of Cretan honey. We will also teach you new ways and recipes to enjoy it.
In addition to honey you will find honeycomb, pollen, propolis and other local Cretan products such as extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, balsam honey, petimezi, raki, rakomelo, wine, ouzo, herbs and spices.