RIPE MARKET MAKER'S MOMENT - WHY WE LOVE RAW HONEY

Maker Moment: Blossom Honey

Why honey?

I love honey, but more importantly I love raw honey, and there is a difference! My passion at Blossom Honey is to bring high quality, organic untreated and unprocessed honey to the UAE. With the global focus on healthy eating and reducing sugar intake, I want to show our customers how they can integrate raw honey into their daily lives, and reap the health benefits associated with doing so. There is a general lack of awareness about the power of true raw honey, and equally some fundamental misunderstandings about commercial honey, and I am passionate about educating people about the differences.

Why the brand? Inspiration for the brand?

We want Blossom Honey to represent the best quality raw honey available in the UAE. The brand also stands for luxury, indulgence and something that looks beautiful in your kitchen, and I feel these are all equally as important! I love experimenting with honey flavours and ingredients, and we have lots of fun conjuring up new honey infusions. Honey as a raw ingredient is a maker’s dream - there are so many ways you can use it, and there's an array of ingredients that complement honey, and work well with the flavours. Our infusions are one of the unique parts of our brand, and we want to keep experimenting and finding new deliciously healthy ways to bring honey-infused products to the market.

I also love beautiful things, and one of my favourite parts of this job has been discovering how to make honey look even more beautiful than it already is. As one of nature's miracles, honey always fascinates me - how it is made, how sophisticated and clever the bees are, and how delicious the finished result tastes! To then add some beautiful packaging, and present it to the customer as a finished luxury product - it's hugely satisfying and enjoyable.

Why Ripe Market?

Ripe Market is one of our favourite markets in the UAE. We absolutely feel at home here with the beautiful artisan products, delicious food stalls and the overwhelming sense of market community. The atmosphere is always uplifting, there's a great vibe and it brings out the best in everyone - traders and customers alike. Who wouldn't want to spend a couple of hours browsing, tasting and just enjoying the ambience?

Astrid Dando, Owner of Blossom Honey