We have started a three year project that will help save the endangered Melipona Bee.

This project began when we visited Mestiza de Indias, a 900-acre living laboratory in the middle of the dense Mexican Yucatán Peninsula, founded by our friend Gonzalo Samaranch Granados. Everything has a way of coming back around, which is the most simple way of explaining what regenerative farming is. And the work of Mestiza de Indias might be one of the most profound examples of it. Simply put, they practice organic, regenerative agriculture that combines ancient Mayan knowledge and modern techniques, with the intent to recover heirloom species.

Today, bees are the most exposed species to pesticides in the world, and they are one of the most critical pieces in the creation of our produce.

Gonzalo’s sanctuary would be situated in the middle of the jungle, away from any form of pesticide. This project touched a heartstring, and right there and then, we knew we had to get involved. We learned that the native Melipona Bee has traditionally been used by the Mayan people to harvest an extremely potent, medicinal Honey. Its extinction could mean a huge loss in this medicine, but also in tradition.

Flamingo Estate will be supporting a new Bee Sanctuary in Mestiza de Indias, which will employ the local community and pass on Indigenous knowledge, culminating in a Honey you’ll be able to taste. I grew up harvesting Honey at my parents farm in Australia, and Honey continues to be the heartbeat of Flamingo Estate. And green pioneers like Gonzalo remind us why we do it in the first place.