Uncover the Rich History and Medicinal Properties of Sidr Honey and How We Overcame the Challenge of Finding Genuine High-Quality Sidr Honey from Greece's Vast Lote Tree Forests

A jar of Sidr honey from the Raw Honey ShopLet me tell you about Sidr honey - it's one of the most highly valued honeys in the world. In one online shop I saw a kilo for £523!! 

As I have discovered it is extremely difficult to get hold of genuine high quality Sidr.

So let me give you a bit of background so you can see why this honey is so highly valued. And the problems in finding genuine Sidr honey.

I was searching for genuine Sidr for almost 10 years. Customers were asking me all the time - 'When are you going to get some Sidr?'

But it was a problem, I couldn't find any.

Here's what I have learnt about Sidr and how I came to track down some  genuine high quality Sidr.

First off, let me explain a bit about the tree that Sidr comes from.

Sidr comes from a tree that's also known as the Lote Tree.

This tree's got quite a history, going back to ancient times, because of its medicinal properties. The leaves were used in medicinal preparations.

It's mentioned in both the Quran and the Bible for its healing properties, and it's also known as Christ's Thorn. They say that the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross was made from Sidr.

The ancients used to harvest honey from this tree, and it has been recognised in modern times as one of the world's premium honeys - on a par with Manuka.

The demand is incredibly high and it can sell for $300 a kilo or more! 

Now, at the Raw Honey Shop, we used to get asked about Sidr all the time. But I found it impossible to get hold of genuine Sidr.

Many samples were sent to us, but each time we sent it to a lab to be analysed it turned out to be fake.

I had actually given up on ever finding genuine Sidr. Every time we received a sample and sent it to a lab to be analysed it would come back as being a different honey.  

One, that is still widely advertised, turned out to be mainly Chestnut honey.(See the copy of the analyis below.)

This is a screenshot of an analysis of some honey that someone tried to sell us as Sidr. It turned out to be more like Chestnut.

But then, in 2019, I was in Greece and was told about a very remote place, far from the tourist spots where vast areas of Lote Trees grow (Sidr).

Asterios, who is our main contact in Greece, has a network of artisan beekeepers. He took me to meet Vangelis, a big guy with a big smile, who is also an actor and theatre director in his spare time.

We went off road in his 4 x 4 and drove up a mountain where we looked down on a vast area of Sidr trees.

I asked Vangelis if he could put some hives there in the spring, and the following spring I visited again and saw the forest turning yellow with the flowers of the Sidr trees. Bees love the nectar of the Sidr tree, which is super abundant, and after they filled the comb with nectar and reduced it down into thick Sidr honey.

I also saw some other beekeepers, including Triantafyllos and Grigoris, a son/father beekeeping team, pictured below by a Lote tree, which was starting to flower.

This image shows son and father beekeeping team, Triantafyllos and Grigoris, with a flowering branch of the Lote Tree, from which Sidre honey comes

After my visit, I got a sample of the honey their bees produced and sent it off to be tested. Result! It had a high concentration of Sidr.

Now, we've managed to identify all the places in Greece where the best Sidr comes from and have exclusive deals with the beekeepers there.

And let me tell you, Greek Sidr honey is seriously good stuff. 

Greek Sidr honey is a bit more expensive than other honeys, but it is significantly cheaper than Sidr honey from Yemen. Yet the quality is very good - and we have found it to be very pure. 

We analysis every batch we receive and only except those which show a very high percentage of Sidr pollen - indicating that it is very pure. And we can see from the analysis that the enzymes are very active, meaning that it has strong antibacterial qualities.

Here's what a couple of customers had to say about our Sidr. And if you are interested in learning more about the Sidr we have in stock and perhaps buying some then please go here.

My first exposure to Sidr honey was reading about the Yemeni variety. However, due to availability and cost I looked at alternatives. This product ticks all the same boxes for being as natural and organic as possible for an excellent price.
Greek Sidr Honey - is it as good as the hype?
Yes, without doubt. I get through a lot of honey and this in my opinion is one of the best tasting that I have had. Well worth paying a little extra for to be my special, daily, little treat.                                                                            Derek

Uncover the Rich History and Medicinal Properties of Sidr Honey and How We Overcame the Challenge of Finding Genuine High-Quality Sidr Honey from Greece's Vast Lote Tree Forests

A jar of Sidr honey from the Raw Honey ShopLet me tell you about Sidr honey - it's one of the most highly valued honeys in the world. In one online shop I saw a kilo for £523!! 

As I have discovered it is extremely difficult to get hold of genuine high quality Sidr.

So let me give you a bit of background so you can see why this honey is so highly valued. And the problems in finding genuine Sidr honey.

I was searching for genuine Sidr for almost 10 years. Customers were asking me all the time - 'When are you going to get some Sidr?'

But it was a problem, I couldn't find any.

Here's what I have learnt about Sidr and how I came to track down some  genuine high quality Sidr.

First off, let me explain a bit about the tree that Sidr comes from.

Sidr comes from a tree that's also known as the Lote Tree.

This tree's got quite a history, going back to ancient times, because of its medicinal properties. The leaves were used in medicinal preparations.

It's mentioned in both the Quran and the Bible for its healing properties, and it's also known as Christ's Thorn. They say that the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross was made from Sidr.

The ancients used to harvest honey from this tree, and it has been recognised in modern times as one of the world's premium honeys - on a par with Manuka.

The demand is incredibly high and it can sell for $300 a kilo or more! 

Now, at the Raw Honey Shop, we used to get asked about Sidr all the time. But I found it impossible to get hold of genuine Sidr.

Many samples were sent to us, but each time we sent it to a lab to be analysed it turned out to be fake.

I had actually given up on ever finding genuine Sidr. Every time we received a sample and sent it to a lab to be analysed it would come back as being a different honey.  

One, that is still widely advertised, turned out to be mainly Chestnut honey.(See the copy of the analyis below.)

This is a screenshot of an analysis of some honey that someone tried to sell us as Sidr. It turned out to be more like Chestnut.

But then, in 2019, I was in Greece and was told about a very remote place, far from the tourist spots where vast areas of Lote Trees grow (Sidr).

Asterios, who is our main contact in Greece, has a network of artisan beekeepers. He took me to meet Vangelis, a big guy with a big smile, who is also an actor and theatre director in his spare time.

We went off road in his 4 x 4 and drove up a mountain where we looked down on a vast area of Sidr trees.

I asked Vangelis if he could put some hives there in the spring, and the following spring I visited again and saw the forest turning yellow with the flowers of the Sidr trees. Bees love the nectar of the Sidr tree, which is super abundant, and after they filled the comb with nectar and reduced it down into thick Sidr honey.

I also saw some other beekeepers, including Triantafyllos and Grigoris, a son/father beekeeping team, pictured below by a Lote tree, which was starting to flower.

This image shows son and father beekeeping team, Triantafyllos and Grigoris, with a flowering branch of the Lote Tree, from which Sidre honey comes

After my visit, I got a sample of the honey their bees produced and sent it off to be tested. Result! It had a high concentration of Sidr.

Now, we've managed to identify all the places in Greece where the best Sidr comes from and have exclusive deals with the beekeepers there.

And let me tell you, Greek Sidr honey is seriously good stuff. 

Greek Sidr honey is a bit more expensive than other honeys, but it is significantly cheaper than Sidr honey from Yemen. Yet the quality is very good - and we have found it to be very pure. 

We analysis every batch we receive and only except those which show a very high percentage of Sidr pollen - indicating that it is very pure. And we can see from the analysis that the enzymes are very active, meaning that it has strong antibacterial qualities.

Here's what a couple of customers had to say about our Sidr. And if you are interested in learning more about the Sidr we have in stock and perhaps buying some then please go here.

My first exposure to Sidr honey was reading about the Yemeni variety. However, due to availability and cost I looked at alternatives. This product ticks all the same boxes for being as natural and organic as possible for an excellent price.
Greek Sidr Honey - is it as good as the hype?
Yes, without doubt. I get through a lot of honey and this in my opinion is one of the best tasting that I have had. Well worth paying a little extra for to be my special, daily, little treat.                                                                            Derek