FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I return or exchange items?

Because of strict food safety regulations, we are unable to offer refunds or exchanges on products sold, apart from in the unlikely event of a defect.

How long does delivery take?

Items ordered before 12pm can be delivered the following day (sometimes within the day itself). As soon as we receive an order one of our team will contact you to arrange a convenient delivery time.

What can I do if an item is out of stock?

Drop us a buzz on +971 (0)55 414 9814 or sales@blossomhoney.co and we will let you know the timescale for the item to be back in stock and/or suggest a suitable alternative.

How should I store my honey?

Honey is classified a store-cupboard item and so can be kept at room temperature.  We recommend keeping all honey below 25 degrees to retain its colour, consistency and nutritional benefits.  Our Kyrgyzstani White Honey can be kept in a fridge or chiller to maintain its pure white colour, as over time at room temperature it will turn more cream/yellow in colour

Where can I shop Blossom Honey?

Blossom Honey raw honey is available at Times Square Center and online at www.blossomhoney.co as well as through other carefully selected retailers.  For a full list of our retailers please click here

Can I order in bulk?

Absolutely!  We offer discounts for bulk orders for our customers.  For retailers we offer wholesale prices.

Do you ship internationally?

We are very happy to ship internationally, although some countries have regulations preventing this and sometimes the shipping costs are prohibitive.  Please contact us to obtain a shipping quote for overseas deliveries.

How long is the shelf life of my honey?

Raw honey is one of the very few foods that has an indefinite shelf life.  However, we are required by Dubai Municipality to label with an expiry date.  We have chosen to use two years from the date of harvest, so any honey you buy from us will always have a shelf life of at least six months (and often up to two years).

My honey has crystalised - is it expired?

Not at all.  Crystalisation itself is not a bad process and in fact it indicates true raw honey.  However, because of the granular texture, consumers can fear that sugar has been added.  This is not the case. The two raw sugars in honey (fructose and glucose) try to find a more stable state and so solidify (crystalise).  Some honeys are naturally more crystalline than others – it all depends on the percentage of water in the honey, as determined by the bees in the hive.  This is also the case if it has a slightly different consistency or colour from when originally purchased 

How is honey made?

Worker bees collect nectar from sometimes over 100 different flowers in one trip.  They mix the nectar with their saliva and store it in their “honey stomach”.  Once full, they will pass the nectar to the bees in the hive who will spread it over the honeycomb and fan it with their wings, to evaporate any excess water.  Once satisfied, the bee will store this in the hexagon-shaped cells in the honeycomb and cover it in beeswax.  This keeps it fresh until the bees are ready to eat it.

Are you bee-friendly?

We love bees!  We treat them with the utmost respect and care, and make sure we only work with like-minded bee farms, or apiaries.  We ensure they are never threatened or stressed when we check on them or go to extract their honey and biproducts. We always leave them with plenty honey to survive, especially in the months of Autumn – Spring, where there are less plants to forage, and they tend to leave their hives less frequently.

Are you a sustainable and environmentally friendly company?

We work with small bee farms locally and overseas and we only partner with a selected apiaries who can ensure there are no pollutants near their hives, allowing the nectar gatherers to source in peace from clean nature around them. Our bee-keepers do not use pesticides or feed the bees sugar solution, so our gourmet honey is always free of additives and we have the lab reports to show this.

Supporting the local bee farms in the UAE in particular means we keep pollution and our carbon footprint down on transportation of our products.  We hand-fill our jars so there is no factory involved.  We sanitise and re-use our glass jars when we can.  We also understand the importance of honeybees’ survival on our planet and make conscious decisions when it comes to who we work with, whether that be an Apiary in Yemen to a restaurant in Dubai. 

What’s the difference between raw and pure honey?

Raw honey is straight from the hive; nothing added, never heated, just strained through a fine mesh and full of natural goodness.  Pure honey also has nothing added but it has been pasteurised, i.e. heated, so will contain less nutrients.  The natural fructose and glucose in honey usually changes to sucrose when it has been heated too, so is no longer a healthy sugar.  Be wary of anything that says “blended” or is labelled as honey of more than one origin.  These commercial honeys will have been pasteurised and, often, had sugars, colours and preservatives added. The trick is to always look for Raw on the label to know you are getting the best tasting and most nutritious honey.

What’s the difference between your honey and manuka honey?

With any raw honey, the difference in the taste, aroma, consistency is largely down to the nectar source the tree, shrub or flower the bee pollenates from. The Manuka tree is native to New Zealand and this honey has proven to have high health benefits. We do stock Manuka honey alongside our raw honeys from Yemen, Kyrgyzstan and UAE.  All are delicious and loaded with healthy nutrients – it just depends on your flavour preference and the specific health benefits you are after.

What are the health benefits of eating raw honey?

There are many health benefits from eating raw honey including:

• Reduces inflammation in the brain, relieving anxiety, depression and stress
• Phytonutrients gives it antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties
• Boosts immunity
• Heals wounds and burns by applying directly to the affected skin
• Amazing skincare benefits, such as easing acne with the antibacterial properties
• Great for gut health and aiding digestion

Do talk with our specialist team to discuss which honey is best for your required health benefit.

Is honey ok for vegetarians or vegans to eat?

Vegetarians do not eat animals but are generally ok with animal products, so usually consume honey.  Vegans eat no animal products so are less likely to eat honey if they follow strict veganism.  However, we have a number of vegan customers who believe it is ok to eat honey, because it’s not actually an animal product (like milk from a cow is), it’s just that the bees have facilitated the conversion of nectar to honey. Our principal is only to harvest the excess honey, and to leave plenty for the bees' needs.  Our bees are handled with much love and care and never slaughtered for their honey or other products.  Our bees are also naturally free-range.

I’d love to stock your honey or use it in my workplace.  How can I get involved?

Great news!  Give us a call on +971 (0)55 414 9814 or email sales@blossomhoney.co

What is bee pollen for?  Can we eat it?

Bee pollen is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and often known as a superfood.  It can help promote memory, weight loss, enhance energy levels, slow down aging, and many more.  It is actually found in a lot of supplements and vitamins.  We suggest sprinkling it over your breakfast granola or yogurt.  However, if you have allergies to pollen, you may suffer some side effects so you’re best to serve it in in small doses (such as ¼ tsp) to begin with.

Do different honeys actually taste different?

Yes definitely.  Every raw honey varietal has its own unique provenance, largely influenced by its nectar source. If you’d like to discover the different tastes, drop by our stall at Times Square Centre and we can go through the different varieties with you.  We also suggest buying our Taster Box or a gift set to help decide what your favourites are.  You can have a look here.

How do you manage to get honey from Yemen when there is war?

We source our Yemeni honey from the Wadi Do’Ani in the Hadramout region of Yemen, an area not involved in conflict.  Our bee-keepers are semi-nomadic and live peacefully using traditional methods passed down through generations to care for their bees.   The harvested honey is carried from the Hadramout Mountains on donkeys and then shipped to Saudi Arabia and on to UAE.  

Why is Yemeni honey considered the best honey in the world?

Yemeni honey has a reputation as one of the finest in the world, largely due to the land’s fertile pastures for bees, which produce a thick honey with a lavish smoky sweet taste and a golden colour which becomes more reddish over time.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Yemeni's Sidr honey is more expensive than other kinds of honey on the global market because of the differences in their medicinal and nutritive benefits.  Genuine Yemeni honey is so highly prized that its possession is considered a status symbol in Arab culture.

Is Manuka better than Yemeni Honey?

The health benefits of Manuka and Yemeni Sidr are similar.  Manuka is derived from the Tea Tree Bush and its active ingredients are largely found in its oil. Whereas Sidr honey is derived from the highly revered Sidr tree and all parts of the tree including bark, berries and flowers are reported to have medicinal properties. Often referred to as the Manuka of the Middle East, scientific studies have actually shown Yemeni Sidr honey to have a higher efficacy than manuka in treating infections.  Taste wise, Sidr has a rich smoky taste compared to Manuka which tastes more medicinal.  At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.

How did the white honey get its colour? Are there additives in it?

Our raw white honey, like the rest of our honeys contains no additives.  Its unique colour is due to its nectar source – the Sanfoin flower which is abundant in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.    Additionally, the altitude and cold temperature of the region, as well as a low water content in this honey, all contribute to its amazing thick creamy texture.  

Why use wooden spoon instead of metal when serving honey?

Because honey is slightly acidic, we do not recommend storing a metal spoon or honey dipper in the honey jar as it can corrode over time and alter the taste of the honey.  We always recommend using a wooden spoon or dipper, although the few seconds it takes to scoop out a metal teaspoon of honey from a jar will not affect the honey.