Catalan honey producers, Miel Muria, have recently signed a PEFC license to communicate and make visible their certified sustainable forest management. The company has a deep commitment to offer a high quality product and guarantees sustainability. It is the only PEFC-certified honey in Europe and the first to be exported worldwide.
“The certification process has been easy and logical, as we had internal processes to guarantee the traceability of our honey,” said Rafael Muria Martí, President of Miel Muria. Likewise, Pedro González Colilla, Director of Sustainability and Compliance of the certification body Bureau Veritas, said: “At Bureau Veritas, we have always been committed to promoting the value of all forest products through PEFC certification, including non wood based products. 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”. In this sense, “forest owners and beekeepers have started this journey to guarantee their continuity and conservation”, added Josep Maria Vila de Abadal, President of PEFC Catalunya.
Thus, this act means “A big step towards certification of new forest-based food. PEFC certified honey joins other certified forest products such as pine nuts, chestnuts or Iberian ham”, said Juan Luis Abián Perruca, President of PEFC Spain.
The beekeeping company is located in the Tarragona mountains of El Perelló in a responsibly managed forest area. They have been caring for bees since 1810 and promote pollination that maintains biodiversity and favours benefits for the planet. Miel Muria joins the 1.569 companies in Spain that are certified in Chain of Custody by the PEFC system. This act represents a new impulse in the promotion of sustainable products adapted to different markets.