Honey
Honey is the basis of all mead. Although we use additional fruit in a few of our products, honey represents over 95% of the fermentables we use at Vermont Craft Mead.
In 2019 - including the brewing shutdown to move to our new facility - we used approximately 3,000 lbs of honey per month. We are on track to double our volume in 2020.
As you can imagine, we take our honey sourcing extremely seriously. Our honey not only has to be of the highest quality, but it also must meet consistent quantitative and qualitative markers, be reasonably priced, readily available, and meet our company's standards for business, social, and environmental impact.
In 2019 - including the brewing shutdown to move to our new facility - we used approximately 3,000 lbs of honey per month. We are on track to double our volume in 2020.
As you can imagine, we take our honey sourcing extremely seriously. Our honey not only has to be of the highest quality, but it also must meet consistent quantitative and qualitative markers, be reasonably priced, readily available, and meet our company's standards for business, social, and environmental impact.
Is your honey local?
The simple answer is: Not Usually.
When we founded Vermont Craft Mead, we knew that our volume would preclude Vermont-only sourcing. Vermont simply does not produce enough honey to supply us. Additionally, the Vermont brand is so strong that many small and mid-sized producers would much prefer the premium prices they can get selling their honey at craft fairs and farmers markets.
Initially, we worked with a farmer in Ontario (about four hours from the meadery), but due to minimum orders and cash flow, we had to switch to another Canadian company. Due to a variety of factors, (including climate change) their honey, while excellent in many ways, was inconsistent in color, flavor, and sugar content. They also didn't have the ability to pack in totes (more on this later).
We do have two programs which use local honey. The first is The Honey Project which helps small, local producers get their honey to homebrewers in reusable, bulk packaging. The second is our Sour Series which allows for much more variation in our honey than our normal lineup.
When we founded Vermont Craft Mead, we knew that our volume would preclude Vermont-only sourcing. Vermont simply does not produce enough honey to supply us. Additionally, the Vermont brand is so strong that many small and mid-sized producers would much prefer the premium prices they can get selling their honey at craft fairs and farmers markets.
Initially, we worked with a farmer in Ontario (about four hours from the meadery), but due to minimum orders and cash flow, we had to switch to another Canadian company. Due to a variety of factors, (including climate change) their honey, while excellent in many ways, was inconsistent in color, flavor, and sugar content. They also didn't have the ability to pack in totes (more on this later).
We do have two programs which use local honey. The first is The Honey Project which helps small, local producers get their honey to homebrewers in reusable, bulk packaging. The second is our Sour Series which allows for much more variation in our honey than our normal lineup.
Where does your honey come from?
We buy nearly all of our honey from McLure's of New England. From their website: McLure’s is the only True Source certified packer in New England with a commitment to high quality honey that is 100 % pure and ethically sourced, natural honey. We continue to operate under the philosophy of “We Only Pack the Best”!
McLure’s is SQF certified level 2, certified Kosher for Passover and is also proud of our standing as an officially certified Woman’s Business Enterprise.
We use their Moorland Wildflower Honey for everything we brew except our Sour Series and Old Wayfarer. We rely on the TrueSource Certification program to know that the varietal and provenance of our honey is tracked from hive to meadery.
According to their founding documents:
True Source Honey, LLC is an effort by a number of honey companies and importers to protect consumers and customers from illegally sourced honey; and to highlight and support legal, transparent and ethical sourcing. The initiative seeks to help maintain the reputation of honey as a high-quality, highly valued food and further sustain the U.S. honey sector.
Additionally, McLure's is able to pack our honey in 100% recyclable totes, reducing the environmental impact of packaging dramatically, as well as allowing us to use a simpler, safer brewing process.
McLure’s is SQF certified level 2, certified Kosher for Passover and is also proud of our standing as an officially certified Woman’s Business Enterprise.
We use their Moorland Wildflower Honey for everything we brew except our Sour Series and Old Wayfarer. We rely on the TrueSource Certification program to know that the varietal and provenance of our honey is tracked from hive to meadery.
According to their founding documents:
True Source Honey, LLC is an effort by a number of honey companies and importers to protect consumers and customers from illegally sourced honey; and to highlight and support legal, transparent and ethical sourcing. The initiative seeks to help maintain the reputation of honey as a high-quality, highly valued food and further sustain the U.S. honey sector.
Additionally, McLure's is able to pack our honey in 100% recyclable totes, reducing the environmental impact of packaging dramatically, as well as allowing us to use a simpler, safer brewing process.
What is the environmental impact of your honey?
As with any Scope 2 analysis, it's complicated.
In broad strokes:
What does this all mean? By dividing through the numbers above, we find that:
On average for 1 kg of sugar from honey, we release .88 kg GHG.
On average for 1 kg of sugar from barley, a brewery releases 1.35 kg GHG.
These findings are quite consistent with the Fat Tire Analysis.[3] The numbers above factor in some, but not all, of the Greenhouse Gasses from shipping, which varies widely by brewery and region.
For the huge difference in energy usage compared to beer brewing, visit this page.
In broad strokes:
- Full scope for honey processing releases about .67-.92 kg Greenhouse Gas (GHG) per kg of honey.[1]
- We use only unpasteurized honey, saving additional energy expenditure.
- Full scope for Barley releases .62 kg GHG per kg of grain. [2]
- Malting releases an additional .3 kg GHG per kg of malt. [3]
- Honey is about 85% sugar, while grain is about 80% starch.
- Extraction rate (the amount of sugar that ends up in the fermentation is 100% for honey and about 85% for grain.[4]
What does this all mean? By dividing through the numbers above, we find that:
On average for 1 kg of sugar from honey, we release .88 kg GHG.
On average for 1 kg of sugar from barley, a brewery releases 1.35 kg GHG.
These findings are quite consistent with the Fat Tire Analysis.[3] The numbers above factor in some, but not all, of the Greenhouse Gasses from shipping, which varies widely by brewery and region.
For the huge difference in energy usage compared to beer brewing, visit this page.
What are the additional impacts of Wildflower Honey?
Beyond the Greenhouse Gas emissions, Wildflower Honey also promotes maintaining top-soil, preserving wild habitats, reducing irrigation, and a whole host of other benefits.
More research is needed to quantify the impacts of supporting domesticated and wild pollinators. To learn more about what we're doing, visit our page about Bondegaard.
More research is needed to quantify the impacts of supporting domesticated and wild pollinators. To learn more about what we're doing, visit our page about Bondegaard.
[1] https://asi.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk5751/files/inline-files/carbonfootprintofhoneyproduction-report.pdf
[2] https://fieldtomarket.org/national-indicators-report-2016/energy-use/#section-2
[3] https://www.ess.uci.edu/~sjdavis/pubs/Fat_Tire_2008.pdf
[4] http://howtobrew.com/book/section-2/what-is-malted-grain/extract-efficiency-and-typical-yield
[2] https://fieldtomarket.org/national-indicators-report-2016/energy-use/#section-2
[3] https://www.ess.uci.edu/~sjdavis/pubs/Fat_Tire_2008.pdf
[4] http://howtobrew.com/book/section-2/what-is-malted-grain/extract-efficiency-and-typical-yield
