Even there the road is not sweet as honey, although its workers do not get muddy or greased, but rather with that pleasant viscous fluid. The Base Business Unit (UEB) of the West Honey Processing Plant, located in the Pueblo Nuevo Popular Council of Caimito, has put a lot of effort into overcoming problems.
Hurricane Ian made their lives miserable by damaging the flora, the bees’ livelihood, and production was paralyzed during an investment process, from March 1 to December 14, 2023. They had to deal with the effects of both events.
The devastation caused by Ian means that they do not receive the planned honey from their suppliers, since nature has not yet recovered: the flowering is insufficient. Specialized scientific studies estimate that it can be slow, and even take years for certain species.
Rigoberto Velázquez Hernández, director of the plant, explains that it is common to take the hives to where there are flowers, in three periods of transhumance towards the coast during the year; However, “the UEB of Artemisa needs 800 liters of oil for this transfer, and the fuel deficit prevents it.
“Matanzas has always been the most productive; “We hope it can contribute more, thanks to the current flowering of the mangrove.”
The same thing happened with the investment in the plant. “The floor of the technological area had to be dismantled, and the corresponding import took a while; The roof was also waterproofed to prevent leaks and humidity, incompatible with the honey process. For this reason, production stopped, the average salary fell and we lost valuable specialists and technicians.”
In defense of his honeycomb
Just as bees never seem to get tired, despite making more than a hundred trips in a day, pollinating a hundred flowers at a time and carrying a quarter of their weight in pollen, neither did they let themselves be discouraged by the Caimita plant.
In 2024 the recovery began. “The Cuban Beekeeping Company granted us autonomy to carry out our own financial closings, which led to better income: if in 2023 the average salary reached just 2,700 pesos, in the first quarter of this year it amounted to 8,333,” revealed Dania de la Caridad. Díaz Trápaga, Logistics specialist. “This attracts personnel and entails an arduous training task to complete the workforce.”
Again they function like a hive, defending their honeycomb. They appeal to countless formulas to increase income and open new horizons. Anyone would believe that it is 20,000 leagues in the opposite direction, but the journey maintains the same course… towards honey.
Now they venture into manual packaging in small formats, thanks to an innovation by the workers themselves; They supply the Caimito store with honey in different formats; and undertake diversification based on productive chains.
“A producer from Alquízar provides us with lime, peppermint and rosemary tea, with which we make bags into which we add mini-doses of honey for sale.
“The use of mead also pays off: the result of the runoff from the bins, mixed with water. A self-employed worker in Guanajay uses it to make dry wine, vinegar and wine. In a similar way, it happens with the small company Tentaciones and the mass of buñuelos that it offers in the air-conditioned market of Caimito, with very good acceptance.”
As if that were not enough, they buy tea products from the grandparents’ house in Punta Brava; They sell lettuce, sweet potatoes and whatever is within their reach, through contracts with the productive forms; and participate in Sunday fairs.
Even more, they intend to increase their social reach, by sweetening mango jam pulps with mead, for care centers such as the maternity home, the nursing home, and the Caimitense daycare centers.
They persist in their mission
Despite the insufficient delivery of raw materials from the UEB collection centers in Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque and Matanzas, quantities of honey are already arriving to be processed at the plant located in Caimito.
Yordanys Conde Zorrilla, specialized operator and secretary of the union, states that they immediately inspect the means of transport to confirm if it meets the established requirements, in accordance with the integrated quality management system.
They review the documentation, cleanliness, labeling, weight of the drums and quality. “If the humidity of the honey ranges between 16% and 19.5%, it is first class. From 19.6% to 20, it is industrial. The less humidity it has, the better it will be.”
The young man addresses each step: how the batch is made up, how many kilograms it will have and the taking of traceability samples, drum by drum, to carry out organoleptic analyzes (appearance, smell and taste).
“In the processing process, the honey is strained (about 80 drums) and passes through a filter system, driven by pumps, to the homogenizer, which mixes it for four to six hours to achieve a product with unique characteristics.
“Then, it is pumped into the bins, where it rests for 48 to 72 hours. Since honey is highly dense, it will settle to the bottom; The remains of wax and others that were not left in the filters will emerge to the surface by decantation.
“The batch is packaged in new drums, which must be carefully inspected one by one, in order to maintain the safety of the product.
“Once again, control samples are taken to send to laboratories in Germany and Havana, where they certify the quality of the honey. Only then is it commercialized, heading for export (80 to 90%) or towards the internal economy.”
Just like the others, Yordanys understands the times. He participates in the applied alternatives. He enthusiastically welcomes packaging in small formats, and hopes to import this line, which is more efficient than the manual process. But, like everyone, he persists in his sweet mission of delivering 300-kilogram drums… and that the honey from Cuban hives continues to conquer the European market.
