Giorgio Poeta’s Sunflower Honey dazzles with its bright, egg yolk-yellow color, evocative of the sunflowers from which it originates. It has a delicately floral and citrusy aroma while its sweet, intense flavor is characterized by notes of beeswax and apricot jam. Sunflower honey crystallizes very quickly into a dense consistency.
One of the most popular times to visit the Marche countryside is July, when its rolling hills are famously ablaze with endless fields of sunflowers. The plants thrive in sunshine—their Italian name girasole means “turn to the sun”—and attract bees with their vibrant yellow petals and sweet nectar. This honey is harvested from sunflowers grown along the Adriatic coast in Ancona and Monte San Pietrangeli, at elevations ranging from 0 to 600 meters above sea level.
Giorgio Poeta recommends spreading his Sunflower Honey on grainy toast, especially rye bread with salted butter. It pairs well with cheeses of an equally decisive character: buttery aged Asiago and herbaceous Taleggio. Sunflower honey is often used in baking and pastry, as it imparts its sweetness without compromising its distinct flavor.
About the producer
Giorgio Poeta discovered his passion for beekeeping as a teen. The son of two farmers, he earned multiple degrees in agriculture before starting to produce honey in the Italian region of the Marche in 2004. First and foremost, Poeta sees himself not as a honey producer, but as a steward of the land focused on the health and well-being of the bees and their surrounding habitat. Poeta practices what’s referred to as nomadic beekeeping, an approach where hives are constantly moving to various flower-rich environments far from pesticides and intensive farming. This unique method provides the bees with an ever-changing selection of flowers and consequently, a diverse variety of honeys with distinct terroir-driven flavors.
