Origin of the honeys
Are your honeys imported ?
Our ambition is to develop the production of honeys in France, to pot 100% of our honeys in France in our honey factory located in GAN at the foot of the Pyrenees and to market these honeys in as many countries as possible.
We prefer French honeys but the production of French honey has strongly decreased since 20 years passing from 32 000 tons in 1995 to less than 10 000 tons in 2014. A significant decline due to various factors including the massive use of pesticides in France, the decrease in food resources for bees, pollution, the development of the Asian hornet, poor weather conditions …
When some honeys are not produced in France, we look for honeys harvested in protected and still preserved areas to find the best origins for each floral appellation.
Thus, apart from France, Spain represents one of our privileged research areas due to its proximity and its exceptional natural environment.
Indeed, at the crossroads of continents, seas and climates, the Spanish nature is a real paradise crossed by mountain ranges. The geographical situation and the complex relief of Spain have favored the appearance of a great variety of climates, landscapes and ecosystems. Spain is the second country in the world in terms of the number of areas declared Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO, and offers lakes, mountains, volcanoes, marshes, forests, valleys, ravines… The richness and diversity of its landscapes are therefore strongly marked. The traditional vocation of environmental protection, which dates back almost a century (declaration of the first national park in 1918), allows today the conservation of large areas of the country in a natural state; the cities being essentially concentrated on the coasts and in the region of Madrid.
Most of Spain is therefore a vast and protected territory for beekeeping.
Some honeys are imported because they are not produced in sufficient quantity or quality in France (orange or lemon tree honey from Spain, Eucalyptus honey from Portugal, melilot from Argentina, acacia from Hungary…).
For example, the cradle of acacia honey production is in Hungary. This tree was brought from North America to Europe in 1601 by J. Robin. Its spread in Europe was particularly rapid in Hungary.
Today, the acacia represents 20% of the Hungarian forests, which is the highest concentration in Europe (400 000 hectares against approximately 140 000 ha in France). By selecting acacia honey in Hungary, we have a particularly pure honey because the bees can bring back large quantities of the nectar of this flower.
The quality and naturalness of our honeys are strong commitments of Famille Michaud Apiculteurs. Since 1973, all our honeys have been subject to exhaustive laboratory controls. More than 92,000 analyses are carried out every year. These analyses guarantee the traceability of all our honeys and underline our constant concern to offer you honey of impeccable quality.
