The beekeeping market - Italy (2023)

1.2 The global market

In ****, the global beekeeping market is estimated at $**.* billion. A compound annual growth rate (***) of *.* percent is projected between **** and ****, under which the global beekeeping market could reach a total value of $**.** billion. Beekeeping Market World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Businesswire Considering the segment related to honey, in **** the global market reached a value of $*..** billion and it is expected that by **** this could reach $**.** billion in value thanks to a compound annual growth rate (***) of *.*%. Honey Market World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Grandviewresearch Although the world honey market is expected to grow, between **** and **** honey production appears to be declining. During this period, world production decreased from *,*** thousand tons to *,*** thousand tons (***) while in the following two years the production volume seems to stabilize.

Honey production World, ****-****, in thousands of tons FAO

World honey production is mainly concentrated in Asia, thanks mainly to the contribution of China (***). Finally, Oceania collects *% of world production.

World honey production, breakdown by continent World, ****, % Ismeamercati China is the world's leading producer of honey. In ****, China produced ***.* thousand tons of honey, accounting for **.* percent of the world total. It is closely followed by Turkey (***). Main honey-producing countries World, ****, in thousands of ...

1.3 The Italian market

Between **** and ****, Italy's honey production is essentially unchanged. However, when analyzing annual variations, it is possible to identify a considerable fluctuation in production volume during the period. Between **** and ****, production falls by **.* percent while the following year this grows by **.* percent. The year **** represents one of the worst years for honey production, with a total volume of **,*** tons (***). Finally, **** marks the highest value within the period under consideration, with honey production reaching **,*** tons.

Honey production Italy, ****-****, in thousands of tons Ismeamercati

By combining data on domestic production, import-export, and the average price of honey in Italy, it is possible to estimate the value of the market between **** and ****. Specifically, the formula used to estimate the market is: production* average price + import - export. The results are shown in the following table:

YEAR PRODUCTION (***) AVERAGE PRICE (***) EXPORT (***) IMPORT (***) SALES VALUE **** **.*** *.** **.** ***.** €***.***.*** **** **.*** *.** **.** **.** €***.***.*** **** **.*** *.** **.** **.** €***.***.*** **** **.*** *.** **.** ***.** €***.***.*** **** **.*** *.** **.** ***.** €***.***.***

Value of honey sales Italy, ****-****, in millions of euros Ismeamercati

1.4 Import - Export

Honey production in Italy is not sufficient to cover domestic demand. Between **** and ****, Italy's honey self-supply rate fluctuated between **% and **%. This means that, on average, **% of domestic demand is met by import. Honey self-supply rate Italy, ****-****, % Ismeamercati Italy can be defined as a net importer of honey. Between **** and ****, the export coverage ratio fluctuated between **.* percent and **.* percent. Both import and export values are fluctuating during the period under consideration. Specifically, with regard to imports, these remained stable between **** and **** although negative (***).

Honey imports - exports Italy, ****-****, in millions of euros UnComtrade

Analyzing trade flows out of Italy, the main destination countries for Italian honey exports are Germany, France and Ireland. These three countries together group **.* percent of total exports. The remaining ** percent of exports is extremely fragmented in terms of destination countries: no one country collects more than * percent of the total export value. Main honey export destination countries Italy, ****, % UnComtrade Finally, considering inbound flows, Italy imports more than */* of its honey from Hungary (***). This is followed by Romania and Spain, accounting for **.*% and *.*% of the total, respectively. Again, outside of the three main trading partners, no country collects more than * percent of total Italian honey imports. Main ...

1.5 The consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict

The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February **** resulted in, among other things, a general increase in price indexes. The honey consumption sector is not exempt from this increase. Considering the consumer price index for jams, marmalades and honey, an increase of **.* points can be shown between January **** and October ****. This means that over a period of ** months, consumer prices have risen by **.* percent. Compared to ****, the price increase stands at ** percent.

Consumer price index for jams, marmalades and honey Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** Istat

The increase in consumer prices is merely a reflection of the increase in production costs. Considering the producer price index for agricultural products (***), production costs increased by **.* points. This means that over a period of ** months, production costs have risen by **.* percent. Compared to ****, farms have higher production costs by **.* percent.

Producer price index for agricultural products (***) Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** Istat

2.1 Demand in Italy

Volume of purchases

Between **** and ****, the total volume of honey purchases appears to have declined. During this period, the sales volume decreased from **,*** tons to **,*** tons (***).

Volume of honey purchases Italy, ****-****, in thousands of tons *excluding direct sales volumes

In contrast to sales volumes, the average annual household smesa appears to be increasing between **** and ****. This increased from **.** euros annually to **.** euros annually (***) during the period. However, while between **** and **** spending shows a stagnant trend with negligible annual changes, between ****and **** average spending grows by **%. The increase in spending in the face of declining sales volumes can be attributed to an increase in prices, which is particularly evident during **** following the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Average annual household expenditure on jams, marmalades and honey Italy, ****-****, in euros Istat

2.2 Demand drivers

Honey is a natural ingredient used for its sweetness, energy and potential health benefits. The substitution of sugar for honey is motivated by several factors, including:

Calorie content: honey has a lower calorie content than sugar: ***kcal per *** grams versus *** for traditional sugar and *** for cane sugar because it is richer in water. Micronutrients: compared to the most traditional of sweeteners, honey is rich in some substances that are particularly useful to the body, including vitamins, minerals and natural antibiotics Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties: thanks to its bactericidal and antiviral action, honey acts by preventing and curing the action of bacteria and viruses, which are often protagonists in the onset of diseases such as sore throats, colds and coughs. It exerts in fact, a decongestant action of the first respiratory tract, main points to be affected by the initial symptoms of diseases affecting these areas of the body Digestibility: honey has a higher digestibility rate than white sugar and brown sugar.

(***)

The average nutritional values of honey are listed below.

(***)

2.3 Geographical distribution of demand

In order to analyze the geographic distribution of honey demand in Italy, a map was created showing the share of spending, relative to the national total, on honey in each Italian macro-region.

The demand for honey in Italy appears to be evenly distributed along the peninsula. The Northwest has the highest expenditure share, accounting for ** percent of the national total. It is followed by the South and the Islands, both with a **% share of the total while the Northeast concentrates **% of national spending. Finally, the Center collects ** percent of the national spending totala. The difference in spending share stands at just * percent between the South and the Center.

3.1 The market structure

To analyze the structure of the beekeeping market in Italy, the number of commercial beekeepers, the size of hives in Italy and the geographical distribution of hives in Italy are considered.

Beekeepers

In **** there are **,*** beekeepers in Italy, of which ** percent produce for self-consumption while ** percent produce for commercial purposes. As a result, there are **,*** commercial beekeepers in Italy in ****. Compared with ****, the number of commercial beekeepers decreased by *.* percent, from **,*** to **,***. Specifically, while between **** and **** the number of commercial beekeepers grows by *.* percent, between **** and **** these drop by **.* percent.

Commercial beekeepers Italy, ****-****, in thousands Informamiele

Unlike the number of beekeepers, the number of hives grew between **** and ****. During the period, the number of hives employed in commercial beekeeping increased from ***,*** to *,***,*** (***). The growth appears to be constant during the entire period, and the growth rates between years are homogeneous.

Hive numbers of commercial beekeepers Italy, ****-****, in millions Informamiele

The geographical distribution of commercial bee hives in Italy appears to be uniform along the peninsula. The South collects the highest share of the national total (***). Finally, the Islands are home to ** percent of the total number of commercial hives in Italy.

MACROREGION % OF HIVES BY COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPING South **.*% ...

3.2 The value chain

The stage characterized by the harvesting of honey and other hive products is one of the most important in the value chain. This is divided into additional sub-phases:

Hive monitoring: before harvesting, beekeepers must carefully monitor the hives to determine the best time for harvesting, making sure the honey is ripe. Honey extraction: this process begins with the removal of combs from the hives. Beekeepers often use a bee lever to separate the frames from the bees' nest. Uncapping: the wax plugs that the bees used to seal the mature honey inside the combs are removed. Centrifugation: the uncapped combs are placed in a centrifugal extractor, which uses centrifugal force to extract the honey from the combs without damaging them. Filtration: the extracted honey is filtered to remove impurities such as pieces of wax and bee particles. Maturation and storage: the honey is allowed to rest for a few days to allow air bubbles and impurities to rise to the surface. It is then stored in airtight containers.

Other products collected from the hive include:

Royal jelly: this is collected directly from the queen's cells. This requires extreme delicacy and skill, as the amount produced by the bees is very limited. Propolis: ...

3.3 The main manufacturers

A list of the principal Italian businesses employed in beekeeping is offered below:

Ambrosoli s.p.a: founded in ****, is recognized as a leading company in the production of Honey. Ambrosoli's product range includes various types of candies, such as those with honey, propolis, and various fruit flavors. The company has distinguished itself through the use of natural ingredients and the quality of its candies, which are produced following traditional methods. In addition to candies, Ambrosoli S.p.A. has extended its offerings to products such as honey, throat products, and dietary supplements.

Apicoltura Piana s.p.a: founded in ****, is an Italian company that has been in the beekeeping business for more than *** years. It is distinguished by its passion and respect in the field of beekeeping, with a strong commitment to research and innovation. Piana Miele's core values lie in its uniqueness as a beekeeping company, always maintaining the principles since ****. The company places emphasis on the secrets behind the taste and quality of its products, with a special focus on their Millefiori honey, known to be a unique product.

Apicoltura Casentinese s.r.l: founded in ****, the company is committed to producing pure and natural products, preserving the ...

3.4 The distribution

Large-scale retail trade (***) represents the main sales channel for honey in Italy. Supermarkets are the preferred sales channel for Italians, collecting **% of sales. This is followed by discount stores with ** percent of the total and hypermarkets with ** percent. Finally, the free-service channel accounts for * percent of total sales.

Honey retail sales, breakdown by type of outlet Italy, ****, % Ismeamercati

In terms of the dynamics of the volume of spending, between **** and ****, discounters register the highest increase in large-scale retail, amounting to **.* percent. They are followed by supermarkets, with an increase of *.* percent, and free-service establishments (***).

Change in the value of spending in large-scale retail trade, breakdown by type of establishment Italy, ****-****, % Ismeamercati

4.1 Type of the offer

Beekeeping refers to the keeping of bees by a trained operator in order to safeguard the species, as it is protected, and to be able to use its products.the Apis genus includes ** species, of which only * can be kept by humans: the Apis Mellifera (***) and the Apis Cerana. Each group encloses several subspecies belonging to the Apis Mellifera species, including:

in the Carniola group, we can identify the Apis Mellifera Ligustica also called the Italian Bee; from the African group belongs the Apis Mellifera Sicula that we can find in Sicily, more precisely in the province of Trapani; of the same species is also part of the Apis Mellifera Carnica, which in Italy is mainly found in the Triveneto region.

Thanks to "swarming," the Apis Mellifera, native to the tropical zone of Africa, has managed to colonize the entire world within * million years. In fact, today, * groups belong to the Apis Mellifera species: Carniola; Mediterranean; African; Northeast African; Middle East.(***)

Almost all honey production is due to a single species, Apis Mellifera. This does not mean that all honey is the same, in fact its flavor changes depending on the flower from which they will take pollen, and each worker ...

4.2 The prices

The analysis of prices related to the beekeeping industry are divided between wholesale and retail. Wholesale Between **** and ****, the price of wholesale honey, referring to ***-kg purchases (***) appears to be generally declining. With the sole exception of mixed-flower honey, which shows a *.* percent increase, all major types of honey show price declines ranging from *.* percent for chestnut honey to *.* percent for citrus honey and with the price of acacia honey dropping *.* percent at wholesale. **** **** **** **** **** VAR. ****/**** Acacia *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg -*.*% Millefiori *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg +*.*% Citrus *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg -*.*% Chestnut *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg *.**€/kg -*.*%

Consumer prices

Unlike wholesale, between **** and **** the retail price of honey appears to be on the rise. During the period, the average price of honey increased from *.** euros per kilo to *.** euros per kilo (***)

Evolution of average consumer prices Italy, ****-****, euro/kg Ismeamercati

Looking more specifically at the different types of honey, it can be seen that all varieties on the market show an increase in the retail price. Between **** and ****, the price of wildflower honey increased by *.* percent; acacia honey rose by **.* percent; and finally, the price per kilo of citrus honey increased by **.* percent. Considering the ...

4.3 New supply trends: precision beekeeping

The integration of IoT sensors, cameras and remote monitoring allows beekeepers to collect real-time data on hive conditions and leverage precision beekeeping.this allows beekeepers to closely monitor hive health, temperature, humidity, weight and other crucial parameters. Companies also develop digital beekeeping platforms that analyze trends, patterns and correlations in the data to make informed decisions. Precision beekeeping platforms enable hive management, resource allocation, and timely intervention in emergencies. Beekeepers monitor honey reserves, pollen availability, and colony strength to make informed decisions about supplemental feeding, hive partitioning, or honey extraction.by monitoring hive conditions and behavior, beekeepers take proactive measures to manage hive population, reduce swarming, and maintain hive productivity.(***)

In this regard, Italian startup We'll Bee develops a device and web platform, Beeasy , to support the beekeeping industry. Beeasy leverages a robotic eye that autonomously and automatically monitors the movements of individual bees entering or leaving a hive.its artificial intelligence uses this data with parameters such as internal temperature and weight to provide real-time information about the hive environment and bee activity.Beeasy's web interface also provides bee behavior and pollen analysis. It also estimates mortality rates, impending swarming or swarming fever, and the presence of pests. This provides ...

5.1 The legislation

The beekeeping (***) market, as with many other agricultural markets, is regulated by various laws and regulations at both the national and European levels. These laws are concerned with ensuring the quality, food safety and origin of the product. Some of the main laws and regulations for the beekeeping market in Italy are:

Beekeeping

Regulation (***) ****/****: establishing a common organization of agricultural markets and specific provisions for certain agricultural products including honey. Regulation (***) ***/****: on measures to improve the conditions for the production and marketing of apiculture products. Ministerial Decree January **, ****: on the implementation of EU regulations on improving the production and marketing of beekeeping products. Law No. *** of December **, ****: recognizes beekeeping as an activity of national interest useful for the preservation of the natural environment, ecosystem and agriculture in general.

Honey production and marketing

Directive ****/***/EC: concerns the production and marketing of honey. Directive ****/**/EC: regulates the labeling and presentation of foodstuffs and the advertising thereof. Legislative Decree No. *** of May **, ****: implementation of Directive ****/**/EC concerning the production and marketing of honey. Legislative Decree No. *** of June **, ****: implementation of Directive ****/**/EC concerning the labeling and presentation of foodstuffs, as well as related advertising.

6.1 Segmentation

• Mielizia (Conapi Società Cooperativa Agricola)
• Privitera Società Cooperativa Agricola
• Apicoltura Vangelisti s.r.l
• Piemonte Miele Società Agricola Cooperativa
• Apicoltura Casentinese s.r.l
• Apicoltura Piana s.p.a
• Ambrosoli s.p.a