Mohammed Al Riyami aspires to establish a local brand “Asala” that competes with the world

An Emirati roams the mountains and valleys on a journey with the taste of "wild honey"

With specific storage methods, Al-Riyami seeks to preserve the quality of his product to prepare it later for sale.

Photography: Ashok Verma

With wild honey, which is today one of the most valuable and rare types of food products around the world, the Emirati Mohammed Al Riyami went through a long journey full of challenges that he embarked on since early childhood, accompanied by a passion for discoveries and ambition for success, to dedicate most of his time and efforts, in the search and investigation of the treasures of nature that He started from Abu Dhabi, reaching several areas between Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, to embody his great dream of providing the local market with a 100% natural Emirati product, and to compete with foreign markets by establishing a milestone in this field.

From the capital Abu Dhabi in particular, Al-Riyami’s relationship with the world of bees and the extraction of wild honey began, adding to “Emirates Today”: “My first experiences with the world of bees coincided with childhood, specifically at the age of 12, when my father assigned me to cut a beehive hanging in a tree, glimpsing it hanging between The houses, when he was making his way to Al-Farij Mosque, at that time, he taught me how to smoke to drive away the bees and then cut them and later extract honey. This was my first experience with the cells that were widely present in the environment of the Emirates, as we saw many cells even inside residential areas, And in my grandfather’s house and a number of Sharjah houses.”

With the passage of time, Al-Riyami was excited to plunge into the details of this world and learn its secrets and precious treasures.

He said: “Noting that this product is expensive in the markets, and that the neighboring residential areas are little by little vacant, I set out on a journey to search for cells in remote areas. I entered it six years ago, in search of wild cells in several regions of the Emirates with a team of people with experience in the field, leading to the establishment of a brand specializing in rare and natural wild honey 100%, I named it (Asala Bee Honey).

areas

Regarding the wild areas in which the cells are stationed, Al-Riyami explained, “There are no specific places to obtain wild cells. From Wadi Al-Bayh to the Al-Tuwaiyin border, our search for wild bees (Butwaiq) takes us between valleys and mountains and in several areas of the Emirates, such as Wadi Al-Naqab and Saih. Berrats in Ras Al Khaimah, with a specialized team of experienced, work almost throughout the year, except for the period between July and September, which is the season in which the heat increases and the wild pastures decrease, so work begins on locating the cells and following them up to transfer them to the areas of presence Sidr trees, and this process is called transportation to obtain pure Sidr honey, specific to the season and pasture.

He added, “Our work is based on two main seasons, the Sidr honey harvest season, which extends from mid-October to the beginning of November.

And the season of Samar honey, which is obtained between mid-May and mid-June, because bees feed on the flowers of Samar (Brum) and Sidr honey. It is obtained during the period between the beginning of October until mid-November, and during those periods of the year, Ghaf honey is obtained. As for flower honey, it does not specify its season.

Al-Riyami continued: “After that, the honey is preserved with wax and sold to the public until the stock runs out.

As for the month of May, we collect honey cells for wild bees, and the cells collected without these two seasons give honey from wild flowers and herbs that bees collect in the hive from the nectar of different bushes and plants.”

Quantities and quality

With specific storage methods, Al-Riyami seeks to preserve the quality of his product to prepare it later for sale, adding: “I have at home an air-conditioned and well-equipped storeroom to remove moisture that negatively affects the product.

As for the quantities available from our trips between mountains and valleys, to cut cells from trees and caves, they are in varying quantities, ranging every day between about 10 and 15 kilograms of honey mixed with wax, and this constantly depends on the location, time and luck, as it does not often exceed three kilograms and sometimes not something".

As for the prices of wild honey, they are high compared to other types on the market, due to their scarcity, quality of taste, difficulty in obtaining and most importantly, their great health benefits, while the price of Samar honey exceeds Sidr honey, ranging between 1000 and 1300 dirhams per kilogram.

Dream

With tireless efforts, the Emirati Mohammed Al Riyami seeks to devote a brilliant name in the field of natural honey product free of human intervention, and to challenge waves of fraud, manipulation, additives and manufacturing, to establish a milestone in the field, with a product that is rare in the world, and proud that it is authentic and completely natural.

In the future, he aspires to invest in the picturesque nature of the mountainous areas and the fertile lands extending in the Madame region, to establish a sustainable wild bee reserve, and then obtain official support from the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority, to realize his dream of developing his work in the field of extracting wild bee honey and marketing it not only within UAE, but more broadly.

Mohammed Al Riyami:

“My first experiences with the world of bees coincided with my childhood, specifically at the age of 12, when my father commissioned me to cut a hive hanging in a tree.”

"There are no specific places to get wild cells, and the quantities available from our cell-cutting trips vary."

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