Meghalaya’s home-grown company, Centre of Learning, Knowledge and Services (COLKS) Pvt Ltd has won the prestigious SIAL India Food Innovation Award 2019 for its innovative product BEE Natural Honey, a naturally-infused honey, beating many international players.
The award is a unique celebration of innovative food and beverage products and was part of SIAL India 2019 Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan last week. Significantly, this is the first time that SIAL Innovation Awards have been held in India; SIAL is world’s no. 1 food innovation network in the world.
We spoke to an elated Vijay Byrsat, founder of COLKS Pvt Ltd, on the uniqueness and innovative qualities of BEE Natural Honey that helped it bag the award.
How does it feel to win the award for innovation leaving behind developed countries like the US and South Korea?
Truly ecstatic. This victory belongs to all the beekeepers of Meghalaya. We showcased that our region has the potential to be among the best in the world. Our strength lies in the land, people, culture, traditions, agriculture and natural resources.
What is that “something special” in BEE Natural Honey that got it to the top of the world in innovation?
It is probably the only premium brand that traces back to the farmers by providing regional identity and farmer traceability. With just a single click, one can know the farmer which village and district he/she hails from.
It is the only premium brand that gives the farming community of Meghalaya a sense of pride, identity and traceability of their product. It is also a step taken to put the northeast region on the world map and to also connect the consumers with sustainable local producers and spark the importance of understanding where their food comes from.
What were your preparations for the award?
BEE Natural was never designed for any awards. It was designed for creating values. We strongly believe in three values – social responsibility, economic equity and environmental sustainability.
We concentrate on creating values and tracing the products back to our farmers through regional identity and farmer traceability. We emphasise on Creating Change: Changing Lives. All this helped.
What is meant by naturally-infused honey?
It means our honey has no artificial flavours. Honey boxes are kept in natural surroundings, which means the flavours are infused by nature and the honey bees and there is no human interference.
The type of bees that produces BEE Natural honey are of the Apis Cerana Indica breedwhich is known to have higher medicinal properties. Since this breed has a smaller foraging range, each worker bee spends more time with the same plants giving it a higher floral fidelity and medicinal property.
At present, BEE Natural is the most premium honey in the country. Every batch of BEE Natural honey goes through a series of puritytests and only the best of the best makes it to your table.
Where is this honey available?
At present, our honey is available in different high-end retail stores in the northeast region only but one can get in touch with us through our social media pages and we can deliver it to them through post. Next month, we will launch our website, and by November our honey will be available at premium retail stores across India.
Any tips for storing honey?
Honey is the only food that does not get spoilt. It only crystallises over time which means it becomes thick and cloudy. All you have to do is remove the lid of the jar, place it in a pan of water and warm it over a low heat till the honey returns to its original consistency.
It is advisable to properly store it because honey retains its quality for much longer when stored in a tightly sealed glass jar or food grade plastic containers. Also remember, honey should be stored in cool room temperature (10-20 degree Celsius).