Hey there!

If you’re familiar with the Raw Honey Shop, chances are you already know Antonio and the fantastic honey he produces. He was one of the first beekeepers I partnered with when I started The Raw Honey Shop nearly 20 years ago. 

And all these years later, his honey still sets the bar for what certified organic raw honey should be.

So I want to properly introduce you to Antonio, his story, and ALL the extraordinary honeys he produces in the mountains north of Madrid.

Antonio is a fourth-generation beekeeper who has followed a family tradition that spans over a century.

- His great-grandfather kept bees. 

- His grandfather kept bees. 

- His father kept bees.

That's over a century of knowledge about bees, plants, and the rhythms of nature… passed down from parent to child, season after season. You can't buy that kind of expertise. You can only inherit it.

And now Antonio works alongside his son Dani and son-in-law Ruben to carry on the tradition. And I’m sure they’ll pass it on to their children too… and maybe even surpass him!

What strikes me most about Antonio is his quiet dedication. He's not flashy, with a slick marketing operation. He just produces the finest organic honey in Spain, year in, year out… all while using the same methods his family has refined over generations.

Where Antonio’s Honey Comes From

Antonio's hives sit in and around the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, north of Madrid. Many are located in the Sierra del Rincón (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve declared in 2005.)

I've visited. And I can tell you, it's a different world up there.

The Sierra del Rincón stretches across 16,000 hectares of protected wilderness, with peaks and valleys all across the range. It's home to countless species of wild plants, teeming with oak forests, beech groves, heather-covered mountainsides, wild rosemary scrubs... it's one of the most biodiverse corners of Europe where bees thrive and produce certified organic honey.

What Does ‘Certified Organic’ Actually Mean?

Certified Organic means the hives stay far from any potential contamination sources like pesticide-sprayed crops, industrial areas, or heavy traffic. So the bees can only forage in organic-certified or wild areas. And they can’t use synthetic treatments for the hives, antibiotics, or artificial feeds. Antonio was our first beekeeper to achieve certified organic status, and he's maintained it ever since. But it isn't easy to get. 

Antonio's certification comes from the Committee of Organic Agriculture in Madrid. Every year, his apiaries are audited. And every batch of honey gets traced back to his hives.

In a world where so much honey is of dubious origin (with over 90% of UK retail honey failing authenticity tests), that traceability matters enormously for people who want the REAL product.

 

The Wide Range of Antonio’s Raw Honey Flavours

What I love about Antonio's collection is the variety. Because he moves his hives to follow the seasons and the flowering plants; he produces honeys that capture completely different corners of Spain's (and Portugal’s) wild terrain.

 

Oak Honey 

This is the one that keeps winning awards. 

- Platinum at the London Honey Awards. 

- Two gold stars at the Great Taste Awards. 

- Seven-time winner as best dark honey in the Comunidad de Madrid region. 

It's nearly black in colour, thick as treacle, with a deep malty flavour and subtle smokiness. Not sweet in the way most people expect honey to be. It's savoury, complex, almost mead-like. The bees collect honeydew from oak tree sap rather than flower nectar, which gives it that extraordinary depth. 

Chestnut Honey 

Another dark, powerful tree honey. This one comes from sweet chestnut forests in Castelo Rodrigo in Portugal, (Antonio moves some hives there to adapt to climate changes). 

Rich and nutty with caramel notes and a distinctive touch of bitterness. It tastes brilliant drizzled over hard cheeses like Pecorino or Parmesan, or stirred into a warm drink when you're feeling under the weather. 

 

Rosemary Honey 

At the other end of the spectrum, this honey is light, pale and delicate. 

This one won Platinum at the London Honey Awards too. It comes from wild rosemary bushes covering the hillsides around Patones, at the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama. It’s creamy and floral with a subtle hint of the herb. 

Wild Lavender Honey 

Softer and more subtle than cultivated lavender honey, this comes from the wild landscapes between the Sierra de Guadarrama and Sierra de Gredos. 

It’s light and creamy with delicate vanilla-like notes. Gorgeous on toast, in herbal teas, or just by the spoonful.

Antonio also produces multifloral mountain honey, orange blossom, arbutus, thyme, eucalyptus honey, heather honey, and fresh bee pollen. The widest range of organic honey varieties you can get directly from a single Spanish beekeeper.

Why Dark Honeys are Worth Seeking Out

You'll notice several of Antonio's honeys (like oak and chestnut) are dark. There's a good reason I keep coming back to these varieties.

Research consistently shows that darker honeys tend to have higher bioactivity: more antioxidants, more enzymes, more of the compounds that give raw honey its traditional health properties.

They're also less sweet, which surprises people. Oak honey especially has an almost savoury quality that takes a moment to appreciate. But once you do, regular supermarket honey tastes bland and one-dimensional.

It's like discovering single-origin coffee after years of drinking instant coffee… once you try, there’s no going back!

 

A Beekeeper Who Teaches the World

One thing I haven't mentioned: Antonio is also a teacher.

He's pretty much a “professor of beekeeping”; he’s such an authority on organic methods that people from around the world seek him out to learn. I once visited and a group of Venezuelan beekeeping students had also flown across the Atlantic to study his techniques!

And that matters to me, because his knowledge is getting passed on to the next generation of ethical beekeepers.

We need more people like Antonio…

Beekeepers who prioritise the health of their bees and the quality of their honey over volume and profit. Beekeepers who still believe that some things are worth doing the slow, careful, traditional way.

And as long as I’m still knocking about, we’ll keep the “good stuff” from Antonio flowing.

 

Tim

Founder, The Raw Honey Shop

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By the way: If you're ever unsure which of Antonio's honeys to try first, we're always happy to help you find something that suits your taste. 

Personally, if you've never tried a proper dark honey, I'd start with the Oak… it’s the go-to. But if you prefer something lighter and more everyday, the Rosemary is exceptional too. (Honestly, you can’t go too far wrong, haha!)

So click below now to explore Antonio's full range: 

👉 Antonio's Collection