VIHC owner, Richard Spiegel

Back in the 1980′s, when VIHC was just becoming more than a hobby, Richard went into Dean & Deluca (one of the first and finest specialty food stores in the U.S.) with a jar of White Honey in his vest pocket. It was just before Christmas, and Richard was told he would not be able to meet with the store buyer, as the holiday season was very busy. But as fate would have it, Joel Dean, the owner, walked out at that very moment and asked if he could help …

Richard showed him the jar of honey and gave him a taste. “Send me two cases,” Mr. Dean said. That endorsement later warmed many a cold call, as Richard introduced the honey to other potential accounts. Once tasted, the honey sold itself.

At that time, VIHC had only one product: white kiawe honey. Many people advised Richard on how to run a small business, saying it would never

Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey

succeed with just one product. But, being an unconventional, hippy businessman, Richard ignored this advice; VIHC continued to offer only the White Honey and the business continued to grow. Eventually, however, he did decide to try creating another product. One of those he tried was honey with passionfruit, or lilikoi (“li-li-koi”) in Hawaiian.

Lilikoi vine, with flowers and fruit

Though not native to Hawaii, lilikoi has become a local favorite, especially when added to other foods. Eaten fresh off the vine, it is high in vitamin C, potassium, beta carotene and fiber. Baked, squeezed, frozen or preserved, it is turned into a variety of tasty confections (lilikoi butter, jelly, pie, cookies) and refreshing drinks (smoothies, iced tea). We obtain our lilikoi wild crafted from a small, local, family-owned company. The lilikoi puree is then mixed, by hand, into our honey in small batches.

Since we began offering Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey with Hawaiian Lilikoi, it has become a customer favorite. Like other winning flavor combinations (tomato and basil, apple and cinnamon, papaya and lime), the blend of White Honey and lilikoi somehow amounts to more than the sum of its parts: the tart, tropical tang of lilikoi complements the rich, creamy sweetness of White Honey, yielding a sensuous, magically delicious result!

If you’ve already tried our White Honey with Hawaiian Lilikoi, let us know what you think on the product review link on our product page. If you

White Honey with Hawaiian Lilikoi

Be creative: if you discover your favorite way of using our lilikoi honey, please share it with us on Facebook or by email. Better yet, invite some friends to share your favorite lilikoi honey treat!

White Lilikoi Eco Box

In honor of sweet fathers everywhere, for the next week only (ending on 6/20/11) we’re offering special flat rate shipping of only $15 for any order of$100 or more. May we suggest our White Lilikoi Eco Six Pack?

For the simple honey eater, who is classier than I am and does not want to use a finger- dipping almonds or unsweetened chocolate in the honey is divine. Spreading nut butter on the chocolate and then spreading it with honey is also a great combination.

Our honey is also great in salad dressings, drinks and even for making homemade ice cream! Check out our recipes from award winning chefs and our resident gourmet honey cooks for Honey Ice Cream with Almond Nougatine, Kona Mango Honey Dressing, and more.

Around my house and at Volcano Island Honey, Nut Butter Balls are a favorite healthy alternative to candy. Just mix your favorite nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, macadamia nut butter, tahini) with honey to taste. Add nutritional yeast to thicken up the mixture and form balls. Roll the nut butter-honey balls in sesame seeds and refrigerate. Be careful- Nut Butter Balls are strangely addictive.

In addition to the pure pleasure of eating honey, you can also use it medicinally. Honey has been proven to be just as effective as over the counter cough syrup and it tastes a lot better! (Not for infants under 1 year of age, of course).

Honey is antibacterial and anti-viral, it forms hydrogen peroxide that will sterilize wounds, promote healing and reduce scaring. You can put honey on wounds, burns, acnes and infections. Our beekeepers use it faithfully on stings, burns and cuts.

Honey can be added to your bath water or used as a massage cream on your face or body. (Some people are allergic to honey- before putting honey on large areas of your body, please make sure that your skin is not allergic to honey.)

If you want a great craft project- making lip gloss from honey, beeswax and oil is a lot of fun. It is simple to make and very yummy to use on your lips. You taste the honey each time you lick your lips and your kissing partner gets to have sweet, organic kisses!

For more ideas and recipes, please download our Ways to Use Our Honey brochure.

Posted by Andrea Dean.