Labeled as the most expensive honey in the world, Centauri Honey is harvested from Turkish caves and rock faces situated between altitudes of 1,900 to 3,000 meters. The starting price for this elixir is $16,500 per kg (and goes up to $1,100,000 for the Centauri Cave—Emerald, which is available only once every 15 years), and with this high sticker price comes some health benefits. Beyond its sweetness and delectable taste, the honey earned its spot in the Guinness World Records two years ago as the world’s priciest honey. The premium honey stems from a distinct colony of bees feasting on native medicinal herbs and is priced at $10,800 per kilogram in 2021.
“Our highly sought-after honey has attracted industry leaders and connoisseurs alike, looking for pure, high-quality honey that also has health and wellness advantages,” said Ahmet Eren Çakır, CEO & Managing Director.
This ‘liquid gold’ is highly effective with its anti-inflammatory effects on colon cancer, high immunity-boosting properties, and other health benefits. Some clients have been using the honey on their faces for anti-aging properties. The diet of these bees (Ahmet and his team feed the bees a unique mixture of honey at the cave entrance) at high altitude amplifies their production of phenol, flavonoid, and antioxidant contents backed by scientific evaluations, not just anecdotal evidence.
Ahmet is proud to boast a different technique to extract the honey and makes sure he only removes around 15 kilograms per year, which preserves the hive as well as the exclusivity of the product. The team at Centauri Honey not only allows the honeycombs to absorb intense minerals from deep cave stones from between 10-500 meters below but recruits top speleologists (a scientist who studies caves or a person who goes into caves as a sport) who risk their lives each time, placing honeycombs on proper places inside the cave as instructed and aging the honeycombs for a specific amount of time.
Following the honey extraction each harvest, Centauri Honey works with two laboratories in Turkey to find out the medicinal and chemical values of the batch. Following the results, he sends samples to Professor Patricia Rijo in Portugal for antimicrobial and anti-cancer examination before further testing in Europe.
“I am very proud that Centauri Honey has begun tests on animals on cancerous cells to understand scientifically the true medicinal nature of this product,” said Ahmet. “My main goal is to start with the clinical trials in the next five years, which will be a big hurdle to overcome.”
To preserve the production method of the liquid gold, Ahmet keeps the details of the production method secured in a bank vault hidden in the cave. The true mystique of the honey further adds to its price tag. Centauri Honey is bottled in handmade bottles partially covered in gold with each purchaser’s name written on the bottle, further adding to the allure of the honey.
After reserving, the time to produce the honey is two to nine months, so place your orders soon to have a sweet taste of Centauri Honey for next year. Centauri Honey is also a proud partner of charities and animal shelters and sponsors conferences regarding natural drug discoveries.
This story originally appeared on Upscalelivingmag
