Local Honey
Honey is a staple in coffee shops; it sweetens tea and can be steamed or drizzled overtop of a specialty coffee beverage. Since 2004, one year after the company started, Muggswigz Coffee and Tea Company has been buying local honey. It's important to note that the company has not just been buying any honey, but made the choice to buy local honey indigenous to our area, on purpose. Alexander Haas, Muggswigz Artisan Barista and Founder stated, "There is a lot of 'honey' that is imported from china that is largely rice syrup and not actual honey. Buying local ensures more trust and transparency in the transaction, ensuring the quality and integrity of the product. Also being a beekeeper myself, I understand the importance of bees in our ecosystem so the more bees around my community the better!"
According to thehoneybeeconservatory.org, here are 5 reasons why buying local honey is beneficial:
1.) Keeps Beekeepers in business
2.) It's good for our Agriculture: buying local honey from beekeepers allows for the bees to stay in the community and pollinate. Nearly 1/3 of the food we eat relies on pollination.
3.) Protect the environment: local honey doesn't have far to travel so the carbon footprint is reduced.
4.) Helps with Allergies: 'Anecdotal evidence' suggests that the honey ideally should be from miles from your home, ensuring that it has traces of the allergens and/or pollen spores that cause you trouble; similar to a vaccine effect.
5.) Safety: Some importers were selling honey that was mixed with sugar syrups and illegal antibiotics. With local honey, you avoid consuming honey that could be hazardous and you also avoid supporting those 'honey launderers.'