Honey is our passion

We guarantee the Highest Quality

“For three generations, everything in the Breitsamer familyhas been about honey. Our enthusiasm for this wonderfulnatural product and the careful craftsmanship of our bee -keepers guarantees a pleasure that you just have to love.

Our honeys are of course natural, and are continuously monitored for purityand quality – stricter than required by the German Honey Regulation.”

with Our Name

Robert Breitsamer

"Everything started with a milk store"

The Fascination with Honey

There have been honeybees for 50 million years and man has craved honey asa delicious source of sweetness from the very start. The earliest records ofhumans who collected honey date to 7000 B.C. Honey was considered some-thing that brought beauty and well-being. It is also believed that honey swee-tened the path to the afterlife as a burial object.

– Then and Now

To this very day, honey remains a natural

product that continues to amaze the honey

expert. A miracle of evolution that only

bees can compose. The positive effect of

honey presumably lies in its interplay with its

many, in part unknown, natural substances:

In addition to its main components glucose

and fructose, more than 1000 ingredients

have been identified. These include enzymes,

mineral materials, vitamins, trace elements,

inhibins and secondary plant materials. For

sweetening, honey is certainly the better

choice and more natural alternative to sugar.

Honey, a wonderful natural product

Strictly speaking, honey is the delicious side product of a very industrious collective: Honeybees are essential for both the environment and our economy.But the world of honey is about much more than merely enjoying this wonder -ful natural product.

We Observe Enduring Values......and Watch Very Closely

The honeybees allow our business to flourishSomething people tend to underestimate:

The busy honey bees make nature fertile

and ensure that the vegetation is preserved.

Approximately 80% of all blossom plants in

our latitudes owe their existence to the

bees. More than any other insects, bees

pollinate wild plants and crops. Without our

most industrious "co-workers" there would

be no flower diversity, no fruit, hardly any

vegetables and almost no agri culture.

What the bees don’t knowHoney is a purely natural product and hence

always subject to environmental effects.

Bees collect nectar and pollen in a circum-

ference of two kilometers around their hive.

They are not concerned about field boun-

daries, and do not distinguish between

genetically modified and conventional plants.

If it has to be, it has to be measurableThe crucial aspects for the unaffected quality

of honey is the location of the beehives and

precise analysis with modern, extensive

technology. At Breitsamer, we analyze the

honey with the greatest care before we

bottle it. The unspoiled quality of the honey

is more than just a credo at Breitsamer, it is

a must.

The German Honey Regulation applies toeveryoneAnd this without exception: "Neither be

ingredients added nor may the honey's own

components be removed from the honey”.

This applies to all honey sold in Germany

thus to german honey as well as to honey

varieties from other countries.

We go one step further In our in-house lab, Breitsamer sets an even

higher standard than required by the

German Honey Regulation. In extensive

individual tests, we inspect our honey for

possible residues. In addition to these

checks, our many years of collaboration

with our beekeepers play a key role here.

We visit them regularly and always test the

quality of the honey to ensure its purity.

What distinguishes one honey from the other? Is acacia honey a regional or aunifloral honey? How can you get a pure unifloral honey when there are allkinds of plants in nature? Honey behaves in a similar way to wine. Experience what the honey "sommelier"has mastered to a "T"…

Blossom honeys and honeydew honeys Blossom honeys are primarily obtained from

nectar, a sweet secret that is excreted from

the nectaries of plants. Nectaries are usually

found in the blossoms but can also be found

in other parts of the plants, for example the

axilla. Honeydew is the initial product of leaf,

forest and coniferous honeys, known as the

honeydew honeys. Bees collect the honey-

dew– the nectar, which is particularly rich in

enzymes, that is located on leaves, needles

and branches.

Mixed blossom and regional honeys Most honeys are mixed blossom honeys; thus

honeys that bees obtain from the nectar of

various different plants. The taste and

appearance vary greatly, depending on the

location and type of the plants or blossoms

the bees fly to. If the mixed blossom honey

originates from a region that can be

precisely defined, it is also called a regional

honey, which may assume the name of its

place of origin. These include, for example,

Breitsamer's regional beekeeper specialties

The Nature of Fine Distinctions

from the Chiemgau, the Black Forest, the

Altmühl Valley …

Unifloral honeys: the fine art of faithful bees Only honeys with a nectar or honeydew

produced primarily from a certain plant or

blossom type may be called unifloral honeys.

The first prerequisite for unifloral honeys is

provided by the bees themselves: They

remain true to their blossoms. If possible,

they always fly to the same blossoms. The

second condition for harvesting a unifloral

honey is a plant’s predominance in a region.

The technique of the fine distinction: How do we test the unifloral purity? First: by the pollen analysis.

The blossom pollen in the honey, detectable

under the microscope, gives us a clue about

which blossoms the bees flew to. What is

known as unifloral honeys or single-varietal

honeys is defined by the percentage of

pollen of a specific variety. These percentages

depend on the variety. They range from 20%

for acacia honey to 80% for sweet chestnut,

depending on the amount of pollen in the

honey.

Second: on the analysis of the fructose/

glucose ratio.

Why is one liquid, the other solid? Depending on the honey variety, the quantity

ratio between fructose and glucose varies.

If the percentage of fructose predominates,

the honey is liquid. If glucose dominates, the

honey crystallizes naturally.

A creamy premiere in Germany Fine-cream honey has existed in Germany

only since 1970. It was the year in which

Breitsamer presented its fine-cream honey,

which also remains spreadable for a long time

because of its new and sensational stirring

technique. The concept: gentle, cold stirring

of solid honey, which produces far more

smaller crystals. Breitsamer's creamy honey

soon became popular throughout Germany.

Do unifloral types of honey always have to tastethe same? Not at all – a fact that the connoisseurs of

our Breitsamer unifloral honeys probably

have already noticed: The unique variety of

natural components in honey results in their

fine distinctions in taste – depending on their

place of origin.

Acacia blossom honeyFrom the end of May to the end of June, the

robinia (“acacia”), which grows up to 25 meters

high, presents its splendid white blossoms.

The honey produced from the acacia varies

from watery yellow to light and clear, down-

right mild, almost neutral in taste and very

sweet. It is ideal for sweetening foods, and is

easy to measure out because it remains in a

very liquid state for a very long time.

Forest honey This is the prominent force among the strong,

aromatic, dark honeydew honey varieties.

Forest honey is a product of the crystal-

clear honeydew from leaves and coniferous

trees. This aromatic, strong honey quality is

generally rich in minerals and enzymes.

Mountainflower honey A fine unifloral honey, flowery to downright

aromatic, that the bees collect exclusively in

mountainous regions. When thick carpets of

tender wild blossoms grow in the mountains

for a short time during the height of summer,

the result is a markedly fine, creamy or liquid

By a passion for purest gradeThe scent of an entire harvest year

honey. Its color varies from bright yellow to

gold yellow to gold brown.

Lime blossom honey Clear and liquid following the harvest,

yellow-green in color, the lime honey is a

natural phenomenon: a unique mixture of

the lime blossoms’ nectar and the honey-

dew of their pale green leaves. Collected

from the bees at the end of June, the bee-

keepers obtain this pure unifloral honey,

which is fabulously fresh and has a slight

peppermint fragrance.

Sweet chestnut honey In June, the male blossoms of the sweet

chestnut tree bloom in exuberant white and

dominate even the densely growing green

of their lancet-shaped chestnut leaves. The

honey of the chestnut trees is as mysterious

as amber, a reddish brown and with an

aroma reminiscent of blooming trees.

Strong in flavor, with its typically bitter quality,

the sweet chestnut honey is particularly

suitable for whole grain bread, ripe cheese,

fruits or nuts.

A prize at international level

The gold medal was awarded

three times at the international

DLG Test for our “classic” varieties of

acacia, forest and “Golden Selction”

blossom honey.

Our “Classics”

You Can taste the Character

Heather honey Just before winter, the heather beckons to

its spectacle in violet; the bees harvest this

powerful, aromatic honey specialty. The nectar

of this honey is similar to jelly and golden

brown in color. It comes from the southern

regions of the Atlantic coast and from the

heather clearings in the forests of northern

Europe.

Fruit blossom honey A honey specialty like spring's awakening in

the middle of a sea of blossoms in vast fruit

groves with their intensive aroma of a shiny

red, this delicate, delightfully fruity honey is a

pleasure on white bread and an ideal addi-

tion to foods such as natural yogurt.

Rape seed blossom honey (Canola) This mild and yet savory honey specialty is

light with a fine cream and reflects the gentle

strength of a sunny spring day. This honey,

with its mother-of-pearl shimmer, has its

source in the canola blossom honey in the

waving yellow color of distant fields.

Sunflower honey Endless fields. A luminosity in the deep yellow

of sunflowers, proudly towering above the

ground. A honey specialty of an intense yellow

color, creamy in consistency with a mild aroma

reminiscent of magnificent summer days.

Fir-tree honeyA particularly rich honey with a downright

rare quality among the unmixed honeydew

honey varieties. Very dark with a green shimmer,

this very aromatic, resinous honey reveals

its character by its taste: In midsummer, the

zesty freshness in the pleasant coolness of

shady fir forests.

Wild blossom honey Sometimes delightfully sweet, sometimes

bold, the color of this generally liquid honey

also varies from light yellow to yellow gold

to amber, depending on its origin. It is a

blossom honey that owes its aroma to the

colorful persistence of select, non-cultivated

blossom landscapes.

Gelée Royale So delicious and so rare that only the queen

bee may enjoy it: Gelée royale can turn a

simple worker bee into a queen with a life

expectancy that is several times longer. So

far, we can only partially explain its amazing

effect. Still unexplained are several non-

identifiable natural substances – and the

"classic" final secret of a wonderful natural

phenomenon.

Cold extracted? What is that exactly?We obtain honey by using the principle of

centrifugal force. The beekeeper extracts

the honey from the uncapped combs within

a few minutes – without heating the honey.

This gentle method is the standard today.

Is not every pure honey "cold-extracted"?Practically yes, legally no; the law calls for

one additional premise in addition to the

"cold" extraction of the honeycombs:

Honey must exhibit certain enzyme levels

before it can be identified as "cold-extracted"

on the label. This rule has nothing to do with

the extraction process. There are varieties

of honey that do not meet these levels in

their natural state. For legal reasons, these

may not be called "cold-extracted".

Does crystallized honey lose its nutritionalvalue? No it does not. The consistency depends on

the kind of honey; it can be liquid, glutinous

or even solid.

Why is retail honey in liquid form for so long? All honey crystallizes, it is only a question of

when, depending on the kind of the honey.

Also, the way it is stored is important. Direct

sunlight accelerates the crystallization pro-

cess of honey.

Where is honey best stored? Honey should be protected from direct

sunlight and heat; ideally it is stored in a dark

place at room temperature.

WhatYouHaveAlwaysWanted toKnow aboutHoney

Why do honey prices fluctuate so much? Because honey is a strictly natural product,

it depends 100% on the yield of the harvest.

How much it fluctuates depends on the

whims of nature.

What is the shelf life of honey? Honey does not spoil. It crystallizes over

time and changes its taste but can always be

consumed and enjoyed.

Why does its label have an expiration date? This is a formality that has been required by

law for several years. In practical terms, a given

shelf life for honey designates neither possible

spoilage nor the time of crystallization.

Is there a honey for diabetics? No there is not. Honey has a high percen-

tage of natural fruit and grape sugar, which

varies by variety. That is why diabetics

must very carefully consider consuming

honey depending on the quantity and type,

preferably after consulting a physician.

Infants should not eat any honey in their firstyear. Why? The reason are the spores, the so-called

botulism bacteria, that are everywhere on

blossoms and grasses. As they are heat-stable,

these bacteria are certainly not killed in an

unprocessed, raw product like beekeeper's

honey. What is completely safe for both chil-

dren more than one year old and adults can

cause illness in an infant, particularly in the

first six months of life. Under specific condi-

tions within the baby's intestine, the spores

can create toxins that can result in paralysis.

What are the environmental effects onhoney? Honey is a purely natural product and is thus

always subject to environmental effects,

which can vary according to the choice of

location. The quality of honey that can be

sold in Germany is subject to the strict, pre-

cisely measurable guidelines of the German

Honey Regulation. In addition, there are the

in-house labs in a bottling company like

Breitsamer that have imposed even higher

quality requirements on themselves in terms

of the purity of their honey.

Breitsamer Honig

Berger-Kreuz-Str. 28

D-81735 München

export@breitsamer.de

www.breitsamer.de

Honey is our passion