Melira was founded in Athens in November, 2014, by Panos Alexiou in order to incorporate family tradition, marry it with contemporary marketing, and develop a series of products aimed not only at Greece, but mainly abroad. With deep knowledge of the raw material and a significant production of honey, pollen, royal jelly, and propolis, 3 series of products are developed, such as honey, superfoods and beeswax salve.
The Alexiou family is the third generation of honey producers, with a history beginning in 1935 in Istiaia, Euboea. At the time, the family’s grandfather, Stathis Alexiou, used to sell his honey and royal jelly at the local market. Later, the beekeeping was undertaken by his son, Giannis, who was initiated into the secrets of Queen Rearing by an American agronomist. Nowadays, Giannis’ four children carry on the production with the same fervor, but also through modern techniques.
Melira’s logo is comprised of a sketched rendition of the tetradrachm of Ephesus -on which a bee was depicted- that connects to the worship of Artemis of Ephesus and her priestesses, known as the “Mellissae”. The pun in the word “Melira” connects the coins to the honey, while on a second level it signifies the timeless value of this natural food.
The honey mainly comes from the company-owned beehives, which are transported -depending on the season- from Thrace to the Dodecanese in order to give out fragrances, such as anise, linden, sage, lemon blossom, orange, chestnut, wild oak tree, heather and thyme.