New honey cultivates collaboration between Wales and Ukraine

A new honey blend has strengthened the bond between Wales and Ukraine, encapsulating the essence of both countries.

This unique product, Wainwright’s Ukrainian Sunflower honey, is the result of a collaboration between Ceredigion-based Wainwright’s Bee Farm and Ukrainian producer Honey Brothers.

This unique honey is available at Marks and Spencer stores on Merseyside in time for the Eurovision Song Contest which begins this week in Liverpool.

For every jar of honey sold, Wainwright’s will donate to the Bees for Development fund, which supports the rebuilding of Ukrainian bee farms damaged during the war.

Honey Brothers co-founder Dmytro Kushnir visited Wales to learn more about honey production in the country and meet with Welsh beekeepers. Hailing from Horodok in Western Ukraine, Dmytro has resided in Kyiv for nearly 30 years, where he and his brother Yuriy run Honey Brothers.

Ukraine has a long history of beekeeping and is one of the world’s largest honey producers, boasting around 400,000 beekeepers.

Dmytro shared his passion for discovering and promoting honey from various cultures, praising the diversity of Welsh honey in comparison to Ukrainian honey.

The collaboration with Wainwright’s Bee Farm began when director David Wainwright contacted Dmytro after seeing an advert about Honey Brothers in a bee farming magazine.

Despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, exporting honey has not been a problem. However, Dmytro required special permission to leave the country due to martial law.

He plans to take the knowledge gained from Welsh beekeepers, particularly David’s technique of minimising stress for bees, back to Ukraine.

Wainwright’s Bee Farm, which began near Aberystwyth in the early 1970s, now has about 1,500 colonies of bees in apiaries across Wales and England.

The family-run business also imports organic honey and beeswax from Africa after volunteering with forest beekeepers in Zambia.

David Wainwright praised the range of flavours found in Ukrainian honey and expressed his commitment to promoting Ukrainian honey in Britain while paying above Fairtrade prices.

This collaboration also involves members of the Welsh Honey Cluster, part of the Food & Drink Wales cluster initiative, who attended a knowledge exchange day visit to Tropical Forest Products, where Wainwright’s honey is produced.

Welsh Government representatives and the Honey Cluster expressed support for the collaboration, promoting the spirit of unity and global connections.

Dmytro thanked the Welsh Government, the Honey Cluster, and the people of Wales for their support and kindness during his visit.