Dear readers,
We are pleased to share with you the third edition of the ENFORCE newsletter, marking an exciting milestone: the project has now passed its halfway point, and our international partnership is progressing with strong momentum.
In this issue, you’ll find updates on our recent transnational meeting in Slovenia, developing training book for beekeepers, chefs, gastronomy experts, and a growing number of inspiring field-based experiences. From honey tastings to apitherapy, from gamified training to bee walks — our project continues to show how beekeeping can become a rich source of knowledge, connection, and wellbeing.
Thank you for following our journey. Stay tuned for our upcoming national trainings and multiplier events in autumn 2025, and join us in shaping the future of experience-based beekeeping in Europe.
Warm regards,
The ENFORCE Project Team
🌟 Slovenian Inspiration: Project Meeting in the Meža Valley
As part of the ENFORCE project, we spent two unforgettable days — Wednesday and Thursday, 11–12 June — visiting our Slovenian partner, ALP Peca in the breathtaking Meža Valley.
The region welcomed us with warm hospitality, rich beekeeping traditions, and a deep connection to nature. Here are some of the highlights:
🍯 Visit to the Beekeeping and Fruit-Growing Education Center Na Fari, followed by a traditional homemade lunch (more info please visit: The beekeeping and fruit-growing learning center Na Fari)
☕ Coffee with local honey and pollen at Bar Marinka
🐝 Bee Walk through Mežica with Katja and Drago Bahč, featuring the hand-painted „čevnice” hive panels of the Galob Collection (for more info please visit: https://honeyexperience.eu/bee-walk-through-mezica-iter-apium-mezica/
🌳 Apitherapy and energy spots in nature
🍽️ Dinner at the Reht tourist farm
🍬 A visit to Perger 1757, where Lucian Perger shared his family’s honey- and wax-based artisanal heritage
🌆 Stroll through Slovenj Gradec and dinner at Vila Pohorje
These days were full of learning, connection, inspiration, and truly sweet stories. Thank you to all our Slovenian hosts for their generosity and enthusiasm! ✨💚
🌍 Featured Experience: Bee Walk through Mežica
The Bee Walk („Čebelji sprehod po Mežici”) is a guided nature-based beekeeping experience in the Meža Valley, led by Katja and Drago Bahč.
Visitors:
- Learn about Slovenian beekeeping
- See traditional hand-painted čevnice
- Breathe in hive air and explore natural energy points
More info: iter-tours.si
🍬 Featured Artisan: Perger 1757
One of Europe’s oldest family-run artisanal honey product manufacturers, Perger 1757 has been crafting:
- Honey gingerbread
- Herbal candies
- Beeswax candles
- Apitherapeutic cosmetics
since 1757. Their work blends tradition, creativity and natural ingredients.
„We are not just making honey products; we are preserving a cultural heritage and a way of life.” – Lucian Perger
More info: www.perger1757.com
The Handbook is Ready for testing!
Beekeeping as a Treasure Box of Experiences
We are proud to share at the pilot trainings our first handbook, designed to help beekeepers, chefs, tourism professionals and educators reimagine beekeeping as a meaningful, gamification centered visitor experience.
The publication explores:
- The experience economy and gamification in beekeeping
- Basics about bees and beekeeping
- The linkage between beekeeping and enviroment
- Direct sales, storytelling, and apiary programme design
- Apitherapy and gastronomy applications
In the experience economy, honey is more than a product — it is a moment, a memory, and a message.
Furthermore, national training sessions will be organised in each partner country during the autumn.
Selected content will be published soon on our Facebook page – follow us for updates!
🌼 Beekeeping Learning Journey – From Hive to Table
This e-learning program offers a comprehensive view of beekeeping, from scientific foundations to immersive experiences.
- 🍯 The Secrets of Honey: From Lab to Table – Discover the diversity of honey and bee products, from scientific research on quality and authenticity to health, culinary, and artisanal uses.
- 🌿 Beyond the Hive: Crafting the Honey Experience – Learn how beekeeping can become a sensory and community-building experience, with examples from tastings to rural tourism.
- 🌍 Bee the Change: Climate Awareness for Beekeepers – Explore the impacts of climate change on bees and ecosystems, and gain practical strategies for hive protection and adaptation.
- 🐝 Inside the Hive: The Secret Life and Society of Bees – Step into the hive to understand bee society, honey production, and the unique roles within the colony through engaging, interactive learning.
- 🍯 Nectar Notes: A Beginner’s Guide to Honey Tasting – Enter the sensory world of honey, learning to recognize and present its flavors and aromas while enjoying the playful joy of tasting.
The Goal of Enforce project: Provide participants with knowledge, practical tools, and inspiration to see beekeeping as science, craft, and experience all at once.
✅ Get Involved – Join the ENFORCE Community!
Are you a beekeeper, educator, gastronomy professional or simply passionate about bees and sustainability?
🔗 Become part of our growing international network!
Exchange knowledge, test innovative tools, and co-create new ways to promote beekeeping experiences across Europe.”
📱 Follow us for stories, tools and updates
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme, ENFORCE brings together beekeepers, researchers, rural developers, educators, and gastronomy professionals from across Europe to promote the sustainability and resilience of the beekeeping sector.
👉 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555912727988
