Jessamine Eden Apiary has again won the highly regarded Medal of Ukraine Gold Award at the 87th UK National Honey held in Surrey, London during the last weekend in October. There were 21 entries from 13 countries including New Zealand, USA, Kuwait, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago competing in the International Class for clear honey — the most difficult class in the three day competition.
Jessamine Eden Apiary is the only beekeeper in the Caribbean to win the award and the only one in the world that has won the Medal of Ukraine more than once.
This is the 5th award won by Jessamine Eden Apiary at the UK National Honey Show. The Apiary is owned and operated by Environmental Scientist Dr. Valma Jessamy and Jerry Edwin, an attorney.
“We did not enter the competition since 2016 when we won the first prize in a category that included all the countries of the World,” Jerry Edwin said. “It seems that whenever we go to London we take the first prize which speaks to the quality of our honey and consistent standards that we maintain in the apiary.”
Dr Jessamy said that she has sampled honey from throughout Grenada, the rest of the Caribbean and from around the world. Not surprisingly no two honeys are the same. Honey, like high quality wines, is influenced by the terroir of the place and the individual skill of the apiculturist (beekeeper).
Undoubtedly there are many good honeys everywhere around the world. However, the claims by other beekeepers and honey purveyors that it is “Grenada Honey” which won the Gold medal is misleading. Dr. Jessamy further observed that fraudulent claims are being made by one honey vendor at Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport who copied the unique honey jars used by Jessamine Eden Apiary and has misled the unsuspecting visitor to Grenada that they are purchasing the award-winning honey produced at her farm.
Out of Jessamine Eden, honey varietals are sold only at the Jessamine Eden Wellness Farm, Grenville Vale, Grenada. It is one of the rarest honey in the world as the artisanal apiary harvests a limited quantity annually.
“We first focus on the health of the honey bees since the honey is for their nutrition and maintenance of their healthy colonies. In our apiary we have no diseases, we do not use pesticides and our bees are never starved of their supplies so there is no need to feed them. We practice organic natural beekeeping” said Dr Jessamy, who is also the resident scientist on the farm.
