Riath Hamed, founder of Balqees Honey, pose during the interview in Dubai Mall. Satish Kumar / The National
Riath Hamed, founder of Balqees Honey, pose during the interview in Dubai Mall. Satish Kumar / The National

The bees knees: Balqees Honey brings back the sweet stuff



Honey, in all its variety, has long been hailed by healers throughout the ages as nature’s gift to humanity.

From its good taste to medicinal applications and anti-aging benefits, certain types of honey rule the cupboards of people’s homes. Some of the most popular are honey from Al Sidr tree, which was mentioned in the Quran as one of the plants of Paradise, and Al Samr honey, from Al Samr tree.

While honey is also grown locally in the UAE, the most famous varieties come from Yemen.

“Raw Yemeni honey was a big part of my childhood,” says Riath Hamed, the owner and founder of Balqees Honey.

After opening in 2011 in Dubai Mall, the brand now has 20 branches across the UAE.

The 47-year-old Brit of Yemeni origin (his parents moved to Britain in the 1950s) has made it his life’s mission to bring the “rawest” and the best of Yemeni honey to the UAE.

“I remember waiting for my mother to bring out the freshly baked traditional pastry known as bint Al Sahn, and then she would generously drown it in Yemeni honey,” says the father of five who lives in Dubai with his family.

__________________________________

■ Honey in the UAE: where it comes from, how to use it, and the benefits

__________________________________

The former boxing promoter – who helped his brother Naseem (also known as Prince Naseem) become a professional featherweight champion – named the honey venture it after the famous Yemeni Queen of Sheba.

The Queen, mentioned in the Bible and the Quran, is said to have ruled the kingdom of Marib in Yemen around 1000BC, though her legend is also told in Ethiopia, across the Red Sea.

Balqees has more than 20 varieties of honey, mostly from South of Yemen, from Hadramout, from Wadi Doani, a valley famous for its honey.

“We work with a cooperative of beekeepers in the valley, about 1,500 beekeepers, and we sell more than three tons [about 3,000 kilos] of honey each month,” he says.

The different varieties include the traditionally famous Al Samar, Al Sidr and Al Zohourat and Balqees also sells fusions by mixing the honey with saffron, Habat al Baraka (the black seed), cinnamon and sesame seeds.

“We also sell special honey from Socotra Island, where the honey is very distinct as there are special plants there,” he says.

Al Sidr costs about Dh580 per kilo, and is traditionally the most sought after, as it is has an element of “divinity” says Mr Hamed, for being signaled out by the holy book.

But the most expensive is Kohouf (cave) honey, from Wadi Amd. There, inside a cave on top of a mountain, the bees make wild hives.

“The honey never sees the sun. So when it is collected, it is like a thick liquid of gold. We can get only 300 to 400 kilos every two years, it is so rare and so raw and so good, that is costs Dh5,500 a kilo,” he says.

rghazal@thenational.ae

SCHEDULE

December 8: UAE v USA (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

December 9: USA v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

December 11: UAE v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

December 12: UAE v USA (ICC Academy Oval 1)

December 14: USA v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)

December 15: UAE v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)

All matches start at 10am

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cherry

Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo

Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo

1/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Weekender

Get the highlights of our exciting Weekend edition every Saturday

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      Weekender