Twelve independent honey producers with shared ideals and a common vision for beekeeping and honey production have created the group “Melitteas”. The Cooperative is managed by a 5-member Board of Directors and its highest body is the General Assembly. The Co-op has been approved by the Lamia District Civil Court. Its operations are monitored by the National Register of Agricultural Cooperatives of the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food. Their work is supported by academic institutions and research centers, like the Beekeeping Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems.

With love and passion for beekeeping and nature and long experience, they manage the bee colonies based on good practice principles. This ensures raw, top quality and highly nutritious honey, as nature offers it to the bee and the bee to us.

The bee colonies are transferred to mountainous areas to produce a luscious fir honey from Mount Iti National Park, pine honey from Northern Evia and Thassos, and oak honey from Western Fthiotida.

According to Greek mythology, to protect her son Zeus from his filicidal father Cronus, Rhea decided to hide her son in a cave and let him be raised by the Nymphs Amalthea and Melissa (the Greek word for “bee”). Melissa raised Zeus with great care, feeding him honey in order to give him the strength and wisdom that would help him prevail as the King of the Gods in Mount Olympus. In Melissa’s honor, Zeus was also called “Melitteas” (“honeyed”).

Connecting myth and reality, past and present, and the 12 gods of Mount Olympus with the 12 founding members of the group, the members chose the name “Melitteas”.