Today’s Solutions: February 14, 2025

While the plight of honeybees has gotten a lot of attention in recent years, it is actually wild bees who are facing the biggest threats of extinction, in part because they have to compete with honeybees for their food. This eventually means that the more honey production increases, the more the pressure grows.

That’s why the founders of startup MeliBio have been looking to find a sustainable alternative to honey that tastes like the real thing but doesn’t involve the work of any honeybees in its production.

“There are 20,000 other bee species that are wild and native species,” says Darko Mandich, CEO of the Berkeley, California-based startup. “And those species are jeopardized with current honey production, which completely relies on commercial beekeeping. We decided to look into science to produce honey just like honeybees make it, but removing them from the supply chain so we can help wild bees to thrive.”

The startup uses synthetic biology to reproduce the compounds found in honey, including variations based on the flowers that bees normally visit, which help the final product taste like traditional honey.

In fact, in a blind taste test, tasters found it indistinguishable from normal honey, according to Mandich. So far, 14 companies have shown interest in partnering with MeliBio to use their honey as an ingredient.

As part of its venture, the startup also plans to focus on selling its vegan honey to other businesses — from food companies to those that use honey in body care products — with an initial product coming to market as soon as early as next year.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

This Canadian didn’t want to fly from Germany to Canada—so he took a cargo ship

When Will Vibert’s European work visa was closing in on its expiration date, the Canadian was reluctant to travel back to Vancouver via plane. ...

Read More

The psychological reason we’re so taken with Wordle

If you use any kind of social media platform, you may notice the sudden appearance of gray, green, and yellow boxes in grids cluttering ...

Read More

Hunger stones, dino tracks, and lost cities; discoveries exposed by drought

The severe droughts that are plaguing many parts of the world are altering life as we know it. Even though the climate crisis and ...

Read More

3 healthy habits to boost your immunity this cold and flu season

A mild headache that just won't go away, a box of tissues by the bed, and sleeping uncomfortably with your mouth wide open... It's ...

Read More