In 2025, Cibò embarked on a truly sweet journey: we launched our very own internal beekeeping project, with the goal of producing Italian honey of exceptional quality, following the principles that have always guided our mission: genuineness, transparency, and respect for the environment.
Nomadic Beekeeping: Diversity by Nature
To ensure variety and aromatic richness, Cibò’s apiaries are not fixed: we adopt the technique of nomadic beekeeping, moving colonies to different areas and during different seasons. This allows us to capture the gifts of various blooms and terrains, enhancing local botanical varieties.
For 2025, for example, we began producing Millefiori Primitivo, a high-quality honey that gathers nectar from cherry, apple, wildflowers, field flowers, and forest blossoms — an olfactory and taste experience that speaks of the Italian spring and summer.
Where Honey Is Born: Healthy and Strategic Environments
The production of authentic Italian honey requires uncontaminated places, with clean air and soil. Our main areas of harvest are two:
- The countryside near Rome: here, far from urbanization, the clean air provides an ideal environment for producing forest honeydew and eucalyptus honey.
- The slopes of Monte Tiburno (around 800 m): at these higher altitudes, we produce high-quality millefiori, acacia honey, and honeydew.
The choice of location is fundamental: we avoid contaminated areas, factories, or intensive agricultural activities with herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, which risk compromising entire colonies and the quality of the product.
Bees at the Center: Selection and Care
True Italian honey begins with the health and vitality of the bees. At Cibò, we use only the Apis mellifera ligustica, the traditional Italian honeybee, carefully selecting new queens to ensure productive and long-lived hives. We respect natural cycles, without altering the bees’ nutrition, and avoid substances that could contaminate propolis, pollen, or royal jelly. In this way, every jar carries with it the guarantee of a genuine product.
The quality of honey starts “upstream” with the care of the bees and the queen. At Cibò:
- We use only Apis mellifera ligustica, selecting accurate specimens for new queens to ensure healthy and productive hives.
- We do not alter natural phases: we carefully manage bee nutrition so that the honey remains uncontaminated and unaltered.
- We avoid, even accidentally, the use of substances that could compromise pollen, propolis, or royal jelly.
Towards Maximum Purity: Processing and Filtration
A distinctive element of our Italian artisan honey is the careful processing. After harvesting, Cibò honey undergoes a double filtration to eliminate wax or impurities, without ever resorting to sugars, additives, or colorants. We also offer natural honeycomb, unfiltered, perfect for fine gastronomic pairings — for example, with aged or fresh cheeses in our restaurants. Processing always takes place in sterile environments, preserving purity and flavor.
The Varieties That Distinguish Us
Thanks to territorial and botanical diversification, we can offer:
- Forest flower honey
- Chestnut honey
- Millefiori (wildflower honey)
- Acacia honey
- Forest honeydew
Each variety remains distinct — we do not allow them to mix — in order to preserve the organoleptic identity of each one.
Added Value: Expertise and Hive Products
The world of quality Italian honey goes far beyond the jar. At Cibò we have a honey sommelier, who studies the ideal pairings with cheeses and traditional dishes. In addition, we also produce royal jelly, pollen, and propolis, and we are developing a line of organic honey-based cosmetics for skin care, further expanding the universe of hive products.
At Cibò, honey is not just a product to sell: it is something to be truly valued. For this reason:
- We have a honey sommelier on staff, who guides restaurants on pairings with cheeses and dishes, suggesting combinations that enhance aromas and flavors.
- In parallel, we produce royal jelly, pollen, and propolis, and are launching organic honey-based cosmetics for skin care.
Why Produce It Ourselves? The Value of a Controlled Supply Chain
Entrusting production to third parties limits transparency and control: to maximize quality, Cibò has chosen to produce directly. We oversee every step — from raising hives to final processing — in a sterile, protected environment, without resorting to invasive treatments. What the bee creates is simply filtered and jarred.
Conclusion: A Honey That Benefits the Ecosystem
The Cibò honey project is much more than a commercial initiative: it is a commitment to sustainability, beekeeping biodiversity, and food transparency. With bees as allies, we want to contribute to Italian excellence, because we believe that in every jar, one can find the story of a microcosm, a land, and a care.
We invite readers and our customers to join us on this journey — to discover the nuances of Cibò honey, to learn about the bees that produce it, and to taste something that is both a delight and a responsibility.
