Elisabete Lopes was the student of the University Institute of Maia that left us completely amazed to communicate that she got a maximum mark (20 points) in her work on Beesweet!

 

In this way, we couldn’t not divulge some of her work.

We are grateful for all of your dedication and attention to Beesweet.

It is always with great pride and pleasure that we welcome you in our home.

 

We hope readers will enjoy this wonderful performance!

First, the taste

“Our goal is to conquer the customer through the mouth, that is, to make known new flavors based on the knowledge about the honey that the family has been acquiring over the years” – Ana Pais says.

The brand uses mainly eucalyptus honey, which originates from the central coastal region of the country, on which it creates flavors in a natural way, the result of a research that associates Beesweet with the laboratories of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry of the University of Aveiro and the School of Biotechnology of the Catholic University of Porto. The flavors are distinguished on the palate. The Citrus Nº1, with aromatized flavour of lemon, orange, grapefruit and lime, is recognized by the citric freshness. If the spicy Nº88 Fire “causes a hot blast” in the mouth, Winter Nº5 is “exquisite, has a balsamic flavour that transports us into the winter woods.” The newly launched Nº66 Beelove, the “most exciting honey of the entire Beesweet range”, has “jungle fruit aroma, coffee and cherry”. Of chocolate color, its aroma “is stimulating, causing aphrodisiac sensations”. The range of honeys keeps growing. This is the case of the Nº25 Christmas, which with its Cinnamon flavor is “the most aromatic” of the brand. Nº10 Seasalt (sweet meets salty), Nº7 Truffle (black truffle flavour), Nº2 Mandarin (the presence of orange), and Beeblue, rare honey made from the flowering of blueberry.

 

Health Benefits of the consumption of Beesweet Honey

Honey is a sweet liquid produced by bees from the withdrawal of nectar from flowers. Honey is composed of minerals like iron, calcium, phosphate, sodium, chlorine, potassium, magnesium, fructose and glucose. It is also quite rich in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6.

Due to the presence of powerful antiseptic, antibacterial and healing properties, honey is used as a medicine to treat many common health problems.

Since Beesweet honey is flavored with aromatic plants, these benefits already existing naturally in honey are further enhanced.

Thus, Honey Beesweet contributes to:

Increase energy

Honey can instantly boost your energy level. Due to the natural sugars, it provides a source of calories and energy whenever the body needs it.
So the next time you feel like eating something sweet, simply take a tablespoon of honey Nº5 Winter – Mint.

Reduce muscle fatigue

Athletes often suffer from muscle fatigue, which can affect the level of performance. Honey can boost the performance of the athlete, the levels of resistance and reduce muscle fatigue. This is due to the perfect combination of glucose and fructose in honey.

Regulate blood sugar levels

Honey is sweet, but those who suffer from diabetes can consume with moderation.
In fact, honey can help regulate blood sugar levels due to the combination of fructose and glucose.

Those who suffer from type 1 diabetes should regularly eat a tablespoon of honey. At the same time, the minerals, vitamins and antioxidant properties are highly beneficial.

In addition, honey consumption is always better than the consumption of sugar. Opt for the honey Nº1 Citrus – Lemon Flavour.

Treats Coughs

Several studies have shown that honey is an effective medicine for coughs in comparison to many other meds for coughs with no receipt.
Honey has strong antibacterial properties that help to relieve throat pains and to kill bacterias that cause the infection.
To obtain a fast cough relief, mix a tablespoon of honey Nº5 Winter – Mint, with a squeezed fresh lemon juice and drink it in regular breaks.

Fight Insomnia

Honey is a simple solution that helps to fight insomnias. Honey is a fat-digesting carbohydrate that stimulates the release of insulin and allows that tryptophan easily enter the brain. Tryptophan is the compound that makes us sleepy. Simply drink a glass of warm milk with honey Nº66 Beelove – Chocolate before going to bed.

Reduce Weight

Honey contains vitamins, minerals and amino acids. All these elements work together to promote the metabolism of fat and cholesterol, which in turn helps to maintain body weight and prevents obesity.

Improves digestion

Honey is an effective antimicrobial agent that benefits the whole digestive system. The enzyme (glucose oxidase) in the honey can produce small quantities of hydrogen peroxide that can cure gastritis.

 

Interview with Ana Pais (CEO) and Carla Pereira (CO):

How did the idea for the new product appear? It’s based on what?

“We as entrepreneurs really dream a lot, don’t we? The first step we usually think of is always think small (the dream commands life)and we always think a big, and we think things are all very easy, they cost little money…

The first product to be created, to be dreamed, was not exactly the one that was launched on the market. It was something that had more investment, required more investment, required more time, the goal was to create an infrastructure, which had to do with an educational space where there were bees, there was an apiary, there was honey, there was honey production, and a rare flowering of honey, in this case it would already be blueberry honey. But it was a very expensive infrastructure, a big investment. So we realized on the basis of the business plans we developed and based on the participations we made in some competitions, that it would be a very strong investment, we would not be able to bear this in a first phase, in a young and small company would be very complicated, and then we thought: What do we exactly want? It is to put an innovative product on the market that is based on honey. This is our foundation. So why do we have to make such a big investment right from the start? Have very bulky investment costs when the main goal is to put an innovative product based on honey in the market? So let’s focus there and focus on what is more accessible, what we have at hand and what we can actually create.

 

So we did a market research, we went to see what already existed in the market and noticed that honey was very stationary in time. People were already innovating so much in the jams and the coffees, why not innovate honey too.

We were always very passionate about honey and bees, that is, it was already in our bloodstream this thing of wanting to innovate in honey. So we got to work, we tasted honey, everything in a natural way, everything from the healthiest possible, using aromatic herbs to create flavours in honey. The honey has a lemon flavor, not having lemon, is an aromatic herb that gives the lemon flavor, has cinnamon flavour, but it has no cinnamon in it,  it is an aromatic herb that gives the flavor to cinnamon, mint, and so on!

The Nº10 Seasalt – Salty, this one has no secrets – we put salt blossom and organic seaweed. This is a partnership with Algaplus.

The goal is that honey can be consumed “raw” or in the gastronomy itself.

 

What kinds of questions did you ask yourself, or other people, to get this new idea?

“Exactly. It is very important and I will also answer the other question that we are asked many times, which is: To what extent is it important to participate in entrepreneurship contests? It is extremely important because it is through these events that we test our business idea, that is, it is there that we meet other entrepreneurs, with other ideas, different or equal, or similar, it is there that we meet entrepreneurs who often open us the doors and give us certain contacts that there is no amount of money that pays them. It is there that we meet mentors, teachers, experts in certain areas such as marketing, brand building, product internationalization, design, I know … It’s so many things, it’s a mixture of important capital gains for those who want to create a business idea that is in our point of view it is crucial to make known our idea, our business, both in events and in entrepreneurship contests. People can prove and tell if they like it, if they would be willing to buy and for how much they would give for it?”

 

 

What is the ecological impact of the product?

“Beesweet develops its activity in every way trying to create a reduced impact both in water consumption and in energy consumption. We recycle, we use low consumption bulbs, we put a reducer of our own in the water outlet box to reduce the water flow, that is, we reuse the boxes, etc.. Even though it is a small business we already started from scratch that we started to implement and encourage our company with Human Resources and made our facilities to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

There are two things that we are already doing with regard to the most direct commercialization with the product, it has to do with the use of 100% recycled material (carton of sweets). We are now finishing using the first boxes and the “Gout” boxes we asked the graphic design store to make the products from now on made from recyclable material. Although it is more expensive, we are studying an alternative way to reduce costs. I do not know what is happening in other countries, but in Portugal, what we inform ourselves is glass reutilisation for food use has to be virgin, We can not use recycled glass to place food and here, the alternative is to provide our facilities with a sterilizer and launch a campaign where people can return bottles, we are already doing this with honey in a hotel industry, but they have a sterilizer there and already send us everything complete and then we just have to refill. But here we still do not have the capacity for that. The goal is to return the bottles in order to sterilize and reuse our glass bottles, as for PET there is also the possibility of refilling, but it is something more difficult, because we started from a plastic bottle. As for glass, yes, we are going to create a solution capable of reusing our bottles and I think it makes perfect sense.”

 

Is there a special stakeholder role? (Employees, managers, suppliers, customers, authorities, distributors, etc.)

“It all comes together so brutally, I can start by saying that more than 80% of our suppliers are women, entrepreneurs with tremendous strength and sensitivity.

Two other very important aspects for us are working with companies from our district and even from our municipality, and working with national products, since the very elaboration of the bottle, the bottle itself is also produced in Portugal. We pay more for having these things, it’s Portuguese, it’s ours, it was made by us. The production is all made in Portugal and the honey too, which there is no reason to import. Our honey is very good. We’ve been abroad in two international fairs, not because we’re Portuguese, but because our honey is extraordinary.”

 

Conclusion

Beesweet is an innovative project and is presenting in the market, a new raw honey, naturally flavored, innovative in several senses, with its own brand and design. Its slogan is “Beesweet … more than Honey!” points out that honey is only the beginning of everything.

The innovation is present in the launch of specific and rare blossoms, in the created flavors, in the image, in the colors, in the packaging and in the different ways of consuming and incorporating honey into the gastronomy. This new Honey is also presented in an exclusive design package, aesthetically innovative, passionate, full of glamour, lightweight, ergonomic and practical to use, considered by Packaging of the world as one of the most beautiful packaging in the world.

Aware of the markets they aim to achieve, such as Northern Europe and the Middle East, Beesweet presents products such as Beeblue by Beesweet which is a rare honey of blueberry flowering grown on Blueberries in Portugal.

In the national market, its range of products is present in gourmet stores and charming hotels. The company carries out partnerships and events with companies of wines, cheeses and other food products, in the sense of crossing and incorporating the products. The chefs are also called to add the Beesweet honey in their gastronomic productions.

Honey moves with all the senses. It is a super product with benefits for the body. After surprising the food supply, this year the company plans to start approaching the aesthetics market with the launch of an equally innovative soap. ” Definitely, Beesweet is more than honey…

By Elisabete Lopes in ISMAI (Instituto Superior da Maia)