We Left Skopje to Produce Pure and Natural Honey

Meet Vesna Biljarska, the woman who, together with her husband, decided to leave Skopje and move to Berovo, a city known for its high-quality honey.

Today, Vesna's story is featured on the Kajak platform, with the goal of proving that pure and high-quality honey is still being produced in Macedonia. Together with her husband, in search of a way to make a living, they decided to start a beekeeping business in the village of Vladimirovo.

The first bee families were bought in 2017 and placed in the outskirts of the village of Vladimirovo, an area that is clean and rich in forests. For those who haven’t heard of Vladimirovo, it is located in the central part of the Berovo municipality. Its land rises up to the peak of the Maleshevo Mountains. The village is situated at an altitude of 850 meters. The largest part of the village’s land consists of forests, covering over 5,500 hectares, making this area ideal for beekeeping.

Фото од видеозаписот „Химна на Владимирово“

The mountains in the surrounding area have vast expanses of pastures, large complexes of broadleaf and coniferous forests, and several areas of arable land. There are also meadows along the river valleys. Almost all the farmland is cultivable, and the valleys along the Bregalnica and Selka Rivers are partly used for horticultural crops, with the remaining areas being meadows.

Vesna says that the area is abundant with thyme, sage, white clover, phacelia, wild blackberries, and thistles, all covered in oak dew. From these plants, they collect nectar, while the main source of pollen comes from the honeydew produced on oak trees. This honey is a blend of nectar and honeydew. She explains that the honey they produce is 100% natural and contains no additives. Its color is dark, and it has a caramel taste, with hints of tea flavors. This unique taste comes from the oak honeydew, which appears on the oak leaves and is collected by the bees.

She says that dedication to the work results in quality. Beekeeping is not an easy task. The year has its own periods, each with its own challenges. From the developmental feeding in spring, treatments against diseases, regular inspections of the bee colonies' condition, to preparing for honey harvesting, and the most beautiful yet the hardest part—the honey harvest.

They still use the manual method of collecting and storing honey in jars, and as Vesna says, they do not add any chemical additives, nor does the honey undergo thermal processing. The raw honey is packed and sold as is.

Currently, you can purchase the honey by calling the phone number 075450108, and in the future, you will be able to visit the apiary, where you can taste various honey products and buy honey directly from the hives.