FAQ - The Peronneau family honey house
All about honey
Honey is a naturally sweet liquid substance produced by bees of the species Apis mellifera. It is the only product edible by humans that was made by an insect.
In order to ensure their pollination by bees, plants secrete nectar to attract bees. Honey is made by bees that will forage on flowers or trees to collect nectar or honeydew. Once this treasure is collected, they bring it back to the hive, pass it on to other bees and then deposit it in the cells. The passage of nectar from worker to worker will allow the drop to concentrate in invertase enzyme which will transform the nectar of the plant into glucose and fructose. Gradually, the nectar will become honey.
Honey is a natural product composed of different sugars (+/- 80%) including mainly glucose and fructose but also other natural sugars such as sucrose, turanose, maltose, raffinose, trehalose, melezitose, water (15% to 19%) proteins (+/-3%), vitamins, trace elements and minerals.
The texture of honey depends on the floral origin foraged by the bees. Indeed, not all honey plants produce identical nectar. Each honey has a different fructose and glucose content. During extraction, all honeys are liquid and will crystallize more or less quickly. The richer a honey is in glucose, the faster it will crystallize; conversely, the richer the honey is in fructose, the longer it will remain liquid.
For example, spring honey has a higher glucose content than fructose and will therefore crystallize quickly. While acacia honey contains 27% glucose compared to 44% fructose, its texture will therefore remain liquid.
The difference will be in the texture, it's up to you to discover which one you prefer!
At the Famille Perronneau honey house, all honeys are cold extracted and are never pasteurized in order to preserve all the benefits of the honeys. Over the years, we have developed a specific process that preserves the benefits of the honeys which are brought to crystallize quickly while giving them a fine to creamy texture.
Only honeys that naturally have a high fructose content will be liquid.
Nectar honey comes from the bee foraging on the flower, while honeydew honey does not come from flowers but from trees.
Honeydew is a thick, viscous liquid substance excreted by certain so-called "piercing/sucking" insects that feed on tree sap. Due to its unique composition, honeydew honey generally has a liquid texture and a dark color.
Fir honey, chestnut honey, eucalyptus honey, forest honey, etc. are honeydew honeys.
Honey is stored at room temperature, around 20°, away from heat, light and humidity. Honey is an imperishable commodity, however after opening, it is advisable to respect the minimum durability date written on the jar, its capsule or its label.
The crystallization of honey is a natural phenomenon that does not alter its quality, taste or benefits. To remove the crystals or make it more liquid, simply place your honey in a bain-marie at +/- 40°C and stir it gently until the crystals disappear.
It is rich in good sugars. In fact, it mainly contains fructose and glucose unlike white sugar which contains sucrose. Its caloric intake is therefore lower than that of white sugar.
It is also known for its many benefits such as in cases of throat diseases or inflammation. It acts on infected areas by relieving and soothing them because it naturally contains antioxidants such as flavonoids which promote healing and cell regeneration.
It is not recommended for children under 12 months because it may contain "resistant germs" from flower pollen that can give children the bacteria that causes the disease "infant botulism". This is very rare.
Flower pollen is completely different from the pollen that causes allergies. Collected from flowers by bees, it is the main food of bees, well before honey, because it is rich in proteins. It is made up of water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, minerals and fibers. Pollen is a real natural stimulant, fortifying and toning, which will help you strengthen your immune system as well as stimulate your body.
Propolis is harvested by bees from buds, bark or even certain plants. Resinous in appearance, it is reddish-brown in color and helps protect the hive from external attacks and climatic hazards. Propolis is a 100% natural substance that strengthens the natural defenses of humans. It is recognized for its virtues and aseptic, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, healing, anesthetic properties...
In the world, there are honeys with new flavors that cannot be harvested in France, such as eucalyptus, coffee or avocado honey, very appreciated by a large number of honey lovers and connoisseurs. We work with fellow beekeepers to offer you honeys that cannot be found in France with the guarantee of having quality honeys because they will all be analyzed in the laboratory to guarantee their purity and authenticity.
Everything you need to know about the Perronneau Family’s expertise
The harvest time is carefully chosen by our beekeepers. We wait until the honey is ripe, that is, until more than 90% of the cells in the frames are capped by the bees. The capped combs are harvested one by one and the honey is then cold extracted by centrifugation. It is then filtered, analyzed, packaged and stored in a dry place.
No, the Perronneau family preserves the honey in its natural state without pasteurizing it.
Before being put into jars, all honeys are analyzed in the laboratory. The floral and geographical origin and purity of the honeys are checked in order to guarantee their authenticity and compliance with regulations.
We analyze the HMF (Hydroxy-Methyl-Furfural) rate to ensure that the honey has not been heated or stored for too long. The HMF molecule is not dangerous for health but is a marker of honey aging. This rate must be less than 40mg/Kg in accordance with current regulations.
We analyze the humidity level which must be less than 20% in accordance with current regulations.
We analyze the nature and quantity of sugars in the honey which allows us to guarantee that the honey is authentic.
We analyze the pollens present in the honey in order to determine the floral and geographical origin of the honeys.
Finally, we carry out pesticide analyses to ensure that our honeys are free of them.
We analyze the humidity level which must be less than 20% in accordance with current regulations.
We analyze the nature and quantity of sugars in the honey which allows us to guarantee that the honey is authentic.
We analyze the pollens present in the honey in order to determine the floral and geographical origin of the honeys.
Finally, we carry out pesticide analyses to ensure that our honeys are free of them.
On each jar of honey there is a unique batch number which allows us to know the date the honey was put in the jar, the floral and geographical origin of the honey and the year the honey was harvested.
The Perronneau family practices so-called pastoral beekeeping or transhumance of bees. This consists of moving the hives to different regions of France in order to allow their bees to forage on various varieties of flowers, thus offering a multitude of honey flavors. We respect the well-being and rhythm of life of our bees by carrying out the transhumance only at night. We move our hives from the north of the Vosges to Provence via Burgundy-Franche Comté, from Haute Saône, Jura, Doubs to Savoie and Haute Savoie, Isère, Drome, Gard. We also have apiaries in Brittany.
Our organic honeys all come from hives whose foraging area is compatible with organic honey production. This means that the hives are located in areas offering sources of nectar and pollen consisting mainly of crops produced organically or, where appropriate, spontaneous flora or forests or crops managed in a non-organic way to which only treatments with a low impact on the environment are applied. The hives are sufficiently far from sources likely to contaminate beekeeping products or harm the health of the bees.
The hives and materials used in organic beekeeping are mainly made of natural materials. At Famille Perronneau all our hives are made of wood.
The frames of the hives and the wax they contain also play a role as filters; they are completely renewed every 3 years.
Our entire organic range is certified by an independent organization: Ecocert.
Everything you need to know about the honey shop
The honey shop is located in Dijon in Côte-d'Or at 17 rue de Skopje. The shop is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
At the honey house you can find all our honeys from France, from French regions, from around the world and our honeys from organic farming. You will also find the traditional gingerbreads, nonnettes and mini-nonnettes as well as all the products derived from honey such as jams, nougats, confectionery...
The honey shop was entirely designed and conceived with local and bio-sourced materials. The floor is made of Buxy stone (21), the cladding of the walls is made of Morvan fir and the furniture was made by a local cabinetmaker in French oak. The photos exhibited there, by Éric Tourneret, were even printed in Dijon with natural inks made 3km from the shop.
Can't find the answer to your question? Contact us
