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BEE’O Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Aslı Elif Tanuğur Samancı revealed that 50 percent of honey sold around the world is fake!
Dr. Samancı, referring to their targets for 2024, said that they have a 60 percent growth target for this year., Pointing out that they were already Türkiye’s fastest growing SME in 2016, Dr. Samancı said, “We currently have nearly 90 national and international awards. Although the economy seems to be bad in our country this year, we are not in a very bad situation in terms of bee products production. Although the climate, droughts, fires in the past have affected production, we are still in a position to compete with our competitors in the world.”
Propolis Production…
A reminder of the fact that propolis production figures do not fully reflect the reality, Dr. Samancı explained, “The world’s largest propolis exporter is China, but unfortunately, the products it produces and sells are not natural. The second largest producer is India and the third is Türkiye. Also, propolis cannot be consumed even though it comes out of the hive, it must be extracted and brought into liquid form. It has been 11 years since I founded the company. Since 2013, we have been exporting to 36 countries and now we have made our voice heard in China. If China has requested propolis from us, we are on the right track. Currently, the fastest growing market in the world is the natural and healthy nutrition market. In our country, Anatolian propolis is the world’s highest quality product and ranks first.”
Contract Beekeeping Model…
Speaking about the contract beekeeping model they implement, Dr. Samancı noted, “With this model, we provide our beekeepers with material, equipment and purchase guarantee. We have 5 thousand contracted beekeepers, they look after 550 thousand beehives. Therefore, we produce propolis, royal jelly, pollen and bee bread in a clean region, in lands where pesticides are not applied, within the framework of good practical principles and send them to our facility in Istanbul.”
Inspection and Counterfeiting…
Highlighting that counterfeiting is a common practice in bee products, Dr. Samancı added, “Since bee products are expensive products, they can be imitated very easily. Therefore, it is always at the forefront in counterfeiting, so 50 percent of the honey sold in the world is still fake. Of course, the Ministry conducts a lot of inspections, but it is not enough. I hope there will be more inspections, but the situation is the same in the world.”
