Bee-io

Bee-io is an Israeli FoodTech company that produces cultivated honey, a vegan and bee-free alternative to traditional honey. The company has developed a method to mimic the biological process that occurs in a honeybee's stomach, allowing it to produce honey without bees. Bee-io's honey contains the same qualities and nutritional properties as natural honey, including antibacterial properties, vitamins, antioxidants, and calcium, but without harmful chemicals or toxins.

In July 2023, Bee-io signed an MoU with Wilk Technologies Ltd. to acquire Bee-io Honey Technologies. This acquisition will likely help Bee-io expand its reach and access new markets, but the deal has not been announced as completed as of June 2024.

Bee-io's technology involves three stages—protein production through precision fermentation, nectar production from plants, and the processing of these components to transform them into honey. By choosing specific plants, Bee-io can create various honey varieties, including rare and expensive types like coffee honey, Manuka honey, and 100% mono-floral honeys derived from a single plant source.

Bee-io's cultivated honey is expected to be more affordable than traditional honey. In December 2021, Bee-io announced plans to begin industrial-scale production by March 2022, aiming to produce hundreds of kilograms of honey per week. In June 2022, the company noted that its technology was still in the design phase and that it planned to construct facilities in the US (no recent updates disclosed).