18.08.2025 16:03
The harvest of Ardahan flower honey, registered with a geographical indication by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, has begun. The price of Ardahan honey, which has a high proline value, ranges between 1000 and 1500 lira per kilogram.
The harvest of the geographically marked Ardahan honey, which contains natural sugars, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, has begun. Ardahan honey, obtained from the pollen of flowers grown in high-altitude mountains with unique floras of Caucasian bees, reveals a unique healing after being filtered.
Sinan Aydın, Director of the Caucasian Bee Production Training and Research Center, stated, "As the Directorate of the Caucasian Bee Gene Center, we visit beekeepers in Ardahan province, especially during the honey harvest period, to conduct harvest control and provide detailed information about the harvest to our beekeepers." Aydın mentioned that they visited one of Ardahan's largest beekeepers, Cüneyt Mostura, who is leading this work both technically and in terms of capacity, at his apiary today.
YIELD IS VERY HIGH Aydın emphasized that the value of Ardahan honey is very important due to its cleanliness and because it is obtained from a special breed like the Caucasian bee, stating, "Ardahan province is one of the four breeds in the world as the gene center of the Caucasian bee. Therefore, it is one of the important honey bee breeds that is greatly needed in Turkey in terms of length of tongue, calmness, as well as propolis yield and honey yield. The yield in 2025 exceeded expectations. In 2025, a honey harvest occurred that was well above the Turkish average in terms of both bee health and honey yield. Therefore, 2025 was a very productive season for beekeeping in Ardahan. Because our province is one of the rare geographical areas in Turkey, with approximately 1800 plant species and almost no chemical fertilizers used, thus having almost no chemical and biological pollution. The value of Ardahan honey is very important due to its cleanliness and because it is obtained from a special breed like the Caucasian bee," he said.
STARTED IN 2010 Cüneyt Mostura, a beekeeper working in Kazlıköy, affiliated with Ardahan Center, stated that he started this ancestral profession in 2010 after graduating from the beekeeping department of Ardahan University, saying, "I work with approximately 1000 colonies. Here, I produce honey and sell bees in the spring months. The 2025 season went very well for Ardahan," he said.