Miel Muria: PEFC-certified honey in the spotlight

25 August 2021 Certification on the ground

A family business from Tarragona, Spain, Miel Muria is a pioneer in producing PEFC-certified honey.

The company has recently achieved PEFC certification, and is one of the first honey producers in Europe using the PEFC label to communicate the sustainable origin of their product.

Their honey is also the first PEFC-certified honey to be exported worldwide.

Being committed to traceability and sustainability, for Miel Muria it was a logical step to become PEFC-certified.

“The certification process has been easy and logical, as we already had internal processes to guarantee the traceability of our honey,” said Rafael Muria Martí, President of Miel Muria.

“Forest owners and beekeepers have started this journey to ensure their continuity and conservation,” added Josep Maria Vila de Abadal, President of PEFC Catalunya.

Miel Muria is located in the Tarragona mountains in Catalonia, Spain, in a responsibly managed forest area. The company has been caring for forests and bees since 1810 promoting pollination that maintains biodiversity and promotes benefits for the planet.

Expanding the range of certified products

Miel Muria becoming PEFC certified represents an advance in the certification of non-wood products from sustainably managed forests.

“This is a big step towards widespread certification of forest-based food,” said Juan Luis Abián Perruca, President of PEFC Spain.

“At Bureau Veritas, we have always been committed to promoting the value of all forest products through PEFC certification, including non-wood-based products,” added Pedro González Colilla, Director of Sustainability and Compliance of the certification body Bureau Veritas.

“The responsible and respectful use of all the products that forests offer helps their economic sustainability and feeds back to the improvement of their management”, he added.

PEFC-certified honey is gaining ground

The number of certified honey producers has been growing after the world’s first beekeeping company achieved PEFC certification in 2016. 

In South America, the past years saw developments in the certification of honey.

In 2019, eleven honey producers in Uruguay achieved PEFC certification, while in Chile six beekeepers from the Biobío Region are the pioneers in the production of PEFC-certified honey.

The honey certification in Chile is the result of a pilot project, run in collaboration with Forestal Arauco S.A. and CMPC. The project facilitates the access to certified forestry land for a group of beekeepers, so that they can install their apiaries and produce honey. The aim is for the bees to feed on pollen from the flowers of the native forest and eucalyptus plantations on these certified properties.

Photo credits: PEFC Catalunya and Miel Muria