Our Research

We're really pleased to announce that our research projects, funded by Welsh Government via the Covid Recovery Fund, has started yielding results. We're now also part of the SMART Recovery scheme, which we hope will help keep us busy over the coming years. Our particular interest is the health & wellbeing benefits of our ingredients (honey, fruit, flowers, nuts, herbs and spices) pre-, during and post-fermentation, but we're also going to be forming partnerships with some of the other excellent business and academics who are in the consortium.

OUR RESEARCH PARTNERS ...

 

 

Here are the first results looking at four of our meads for levels of Antioxidants and Total Phenolic Compounds as compared with black tea, known for its very high concentrations of both these elements.

 

Here are two charts, the first showing the percentage as compared with 'shop-bought' vinegar and the second illustrating the relative percentages of acetic acid in four of our meads. Acetic acid has been shown to reduce blood pressure and blood sugar levels, decrease inflammation, support weight loss and kill off harmful bacteria.

 

 

We'll very shortly be delivering the following meads for the same range of tests:

Dragon's Blood, Tylwyth Tea, Litha & Mabon.

UP AND COMING ...

We are very shortly due to deliver our first test samples to AberInnovation for analysis; 496 test tubes, each to be analysed and the data tabulated. We have spent the last six months fermenting three different honey types (Welsh, English and imported) in three sizes of fermentation vessels (220, 1100 and 1500 litres). Environmental and liquid temperature readings have been taken every day for the past 5/6 months and liquid samples (A & B for each tank, 50ml tubes) drawn off every week. A lot of work, but it's been a great experience.

We're really looking forward to the test results. In due course the results of the experiment will be set out in a detailed report, but briefly: the samples will be analysed to determine what happens to the health and wellbeing aspects of honey when its fermented. We think the results will make interesting reading and we will then, at last, be able to confidently answer the question we get asked so often: "I know honey's good for you, but is mead good for you too?"

We'll keep you posted, but if you have any questions in the meantime, do email us and we'll do our best to answer any queries, or even ask our brilliant scientist colleagues at Aberystwyth University and AberInnovation to help.

 

SMART Recovery

As part of the 2022/2023 research project, part of the SMART Recovery project run by Aberystwyth University with AberInnovation providing its laboratory facilities, we're delighted to announce that we'll be conducting these four fermentations and sending samples off for testing:

(1) West Wales honey with Sea Buckthorn (from Britain's one and only sea buckthorn farm near Ipswich):

   

(2) West Wales honey with Spiced Chai (from Morgans Brew Tea, Welshpool):

  

(3) West Wales honey with organic Ariona berries (Chokeberry):

   

(4) Control fermentation using West Wales honey for comparison.

We'll be studying them for a wide variety of health & wellbeing benefits, documenting what happens to the composition pre-, mid- and post-fermentation. We hope these will be the first of many experimental fermentations, from which we hope to expand our range of commercial fermentations.

Shown above are a few pictures illustrating the start of the experiment.