Sunday April 13, 2003 - Agricultural Products Expo Section - pages 3 and
5
Internationally known food treasure produced exclusively from Puako on Big Isle
Volcano Island Honey Company has been gathering pure kiawe honey
exclusively from the Puako forest on the Big Island for more than 25
years. This rare and unique honey is valued by clients nationally and
internationally.
RARE HAWAIIAN ORGANIC WHITE HONEY is a world class honey - “a food
treasure” - produced by meticulous timing and harvesting methods
and a unique set of circumstances that exist only in the Puako forest.
National Geographic Traveler Magazine calls it “...some of the best honey in the entire world.”
RARE HAWAIIAN ORGANIC WHITE HONEY
Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey is a unique and exquisite honey. There
are many reasons that make it so unique, among which are its purity, nutritional
qualities, exquisite taste, silky smooth texture, and pearlescent white
color. Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey has a unique, deliciously delicate,
tropical flavor, and, unlike most honeys, an unprocessed, naturally thick,
buttery texture - a delight to the palate and tongue.
Purity is a major factor essential to the natural excellence of Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey. The nectar collected by the bees comes from the flowers of only the Kiawe tree, only from the Puako forest, and is not mixed with the nectars from any other flowers.
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The purer the Kiawe honey, the closer it is to pure white in color and the more delicate the taste and smooth the texture.
To maintain Kiawe honey’s wonderful taste, texture and nutritional qualities Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey is offered in its natural state - unfiltered and with no heat ever applied to it. A cold, centrifugal, extraction process to gets Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey from the comb into the jar. This cold extraction process allows the naturally occurring enzymes to remain intact and active in the honey.
The collection and extraction process is accomplished organicaliy, using no poisons, chemicals or additives - a process that must be timed exactly, making it a virtually “hand-picked” honey. VIHC products, processes and facilities are third party certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAT) the largest organic certifier in the country.
VOLCANO ISLAND HONEY COMPANY
National Geographic Traveler magazine calls VOLCANO ISLAND HONEY COMPANY
(VIHC) a “food artisan” company ... that puts “passion”
and “heart” into its products. In 1981 the first VIHC label
was designed and small quantities of kiawe honey were bottled to be sold.
In 1982 Dietrich Varez, a well known artist from Volcano, recognizing
the quality of this honey, donated one of his original block prints to
be used on the VIHC label. His print Poi Ulu now appears on all the labels
and has become the VIHC logo. The business was begun as a hobby by Richard
Spiegel in1975. Until 1981 the honey was given away to family and friends.
The vision of VOLCANO ISLAND HONEY COMPANY is to share A Taste of the Magic of Hawaii® by creating excellent products with integrity while providing employees the opportunity for continuous personal growth, in an environment of inspiration, creativity, responsibility and collaborative decision making. The positive energy generated in this environment will be infused in the products created by VIHC and therefore be available in a subtle seed form to those who purchase and use VIHC products.
VIHC is committed to:
Implementing meticulous standards of quality and integrity throughout the business.
Discovering and employing procedures that are in harmony with nature.
Continuous improvement in its beekeeping and production techniques.
Continuous growth for those working at VIHC.
THE FOUNDING BEEKEEPER
In 1970 Richard Spiegel, was a member of the Bar of the United States
District Court for the District of Columbia and had a small “storefront”
law practice in Washington, D.C. He left the law practice to travel
and then “settled down” to an intense exploration of country
living “subsistence style.” After four years on the Canadian-Washington
state border with only wood fires for heat and cooking in below zero temperatures,
a chain saw cut between the eyes sent him to the warmth of the Big Island
of Hawaii to heal.
In 1977, living on the Big Island of Hawaii, Richard and his late wife Laura began 16 years of working together developing a way to capture the exquisite nectar of the Kiawe flower in its most natural form. After Laura died in 1993, Richard left his position as Executive Director of West Hawaii Mediation Services to get his feet back on the ground. He returned to the Kiawe forest to work with the bees to increase the availability of this world-class honey.