There is a big difference from Raw Honey and the common conventional honey you might see on supermarket shelves. Many of these conventional honeys are labelled as 'Pure Honey' and this is not completely false, but the key is in how the honey is processed. Below is three processed used with conventional honey.
ORIGINS
Honey is collected from hives from different regions or countries and usually from the cheapest . These honeys are usually labeled as coming from EU and Non-EU countries (Basically anywhere in the world). There is no indication of the source or floral.
BLENDED & BOILED
It is blended together and boiled in the pasteurization process. In pasteurization the honey is typically heated to 60-70 degrees Celsius. This is done to reduce the possibility of crystallization, to blend the honey adequately and to reduce fermentation. So essentially it is done to make it more aesthetically pleasing to the consumer. The biggest problem with this process is that it kills off any essential Enzymes naturally present in the honey and that give it extra benefit. The Enzymes are what really gives honey it's goodness.
ULTRA-FILTRATION
The honey is blasted through an ultra fine filter. This removes any pollen and other small molecules that can speed up the crystallization process. This is also done because the honey is from various locations and therefore will contain a mix of pollen. If the honey were to be analyzed with the different pollen's still present, you would be able to see what countries the honey comes from. The pollen is like the signature of the environment. The downside to this is that another health giving quality is removed. In the US the FDA describes Ultra-filtration as 'Substantial Transformation'.
ORIGINS
With Raw honey we provide the location & season of all our raw honeys.
GENTLY WARMED
We only (if needed) gently warm the honey to be able to fill the jars. This gentle heating process never goes above 40 degrees which is the natural operating temperature of the bee hive. This maintains all the Enzyme activity. This does mean that our honey can tend to crystallize over time but we believe this to be a good trade in order to maintain the benefit of the honey.
COURSE FILTERED
Our honey is run through a course filter. This is to remove the larger hive debris that can be present such as wax. This does not remove the pollen or any other essential goodness.
RAW is Rich, Processed is Profit.......
