Since 1980, the year we were founded, we have been leading the development of honey and other bee products. We have also undertaken many valuable projects to improve the working conditions of our beekeeper partners, contribute to their professional development, and raise public awareness of the difficulties they face. We absolutely know that bees are not only valuable for honey, but also, more importantly, an indispensable creature for environmental protection, agricultural sustainability, and the continuity of life. As the Balparmak Family, we want new generations to experience all the goodness that nature offers. We want to protect the future of the ecosystem, the economy, humanity, and thus life, to be among those who contribute most strongly to its development, and to create and sustain TOMORROWs that always include bees. As Balparmak, based on our mission to "protect the existence of bees, support sustainable beekeeping, and make bee products an indispensable element of healthy living," we continue to work to: - Raise awareness by informing the public about the contributions of bees to nature and human life, and attract women and young people to the sector to contribute to the protection of bees and the sustainability of beekeeping, - Support our beekeepers in obtaining quality products and increasing the production of value-added bee products by contributing to their professional development.

Ongoing sustainability and social responsibility projects

a) IF THERE ARE BEES, THERE IS A TOMORROW

With the "If There Are Bees, There Is a Tomorrow" project, which we implemented in cooperation with the TEMA Foundation and the Ministry of National Education and which was awarded the Achievement Award in the Corporate Social Responsibility Category in 2020, we aimed to raise public awareness about the contributions of bees to ecosystem diversity and the sustainability of life. The project consisted of training, events, and an informative website for children and adults. In this context, we brought together 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade students for training sessions covering two class hours, explaining the importance of bees for our future, as they undertake a great task in the diversity of life by distributing 80% of the pollen of plants in the world to nature. We reach adults with awareness stands in 30 provinces, "In the Footsteps of Bees" bicycle tours in 10 provinces, and the website arilarvarsa.org. During the project, which we planned to last three years, we reached a total of 70,000 people, including 46,500 children, in 50 provinces. On May 20, World Bee Day, and the days covering that week, we organized "In the Footsteps of Bees" bicycle tours in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bolu, Eskisehir, Edirne, Erzurum, Diyarbakir, and Sivas to raise awareness about the importance of bees for nature and humans, and their contributions to the ecosystem. To watch educational videos about the project and images from our events, please click here.

b) Balparmak Beekeeping Academy Project

With the Balparmak Beekeeping Academy, which we launched with the contributions of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, we are bringing women and youth in rural development areas into beekeeping and supporting the sustainability of the beekeeping profession by making the best use of Turkey's beekeeping potential. Balparmak Beekeeping Academy, which was awarded the Felis Award in the Social Issues Category and the Achievement Award in the Sustainability Management Category in the Social Responsibility and Sustainability Department in 2020, offered three different training programs, developed with the contributions of expert academics, tailored to the needs and expectations of aspiring beekeepers and beekeepers: Distance Learning, Mobile Vehicle Training, Applied Classroom Training. The first 100 women and young participants under the age of 45 who completed distance learning, attended theoretical and practical training, succeeded in the exams, and started their beekeeping careers were given 2 beehives with bees to help them take their first step into the beekeeping profession. Those who received hives were provided with technical support for two years, and for unresolved issues,

A field visit was carried out, and the necessary support was provided.

c) Breakfast Mornings, Healthy Tomorrows

We launched a social responsibility project called "Breakfast Mornings, Healthy Tomorrows" in cooperation with TOÇEV with Honeybana Balparmak, our innovative product series prepared for children. Within the scope of the project, which aims to instill the habit of regular breakfast in children, we visited primary schools in Istanbul, Balıkesir, Denizli, Kahramanmaraş, Mardin, Nevşehir, Kars and Bartın, and explained the importance of regular breakfast to 16 thousand primary school students in an entertaining way using the power of cartoons. With the project, we also provided training to parents who play a key role in their children's proper nutrition. In the research conducted after the training, we observed that parents also understood the importance of the habit of regular breakfast for their children's healthy development.

d) Sustainable Food Platform

Global population growth and rapid industrialization are putting significant pressure on our planet's resources. To adequately feed the population shifting to cities, food production needs to increase by 60 percent by 2050. As a result of threats and needs such as sustainability, climate change, biodiversity, water, food, resource management, food safety, access to food, and food habits in Turkey, the Sustainable Food Platform (SGP) declaration was published in 2015 under the leadership of the Sustainability Academy and the Turkish Food Industrialists' Association (TÜGİS). The Sustainable Food Platform also embraces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Turkey's 11th Development Plan and works with a holistic approach on sustainable food issues in line with the principle of 'Sustainable food for a sustainable future'. It also strives to guide the rapidly industrializing and globalizing food sector to develop a sustainable and inclusive growth model and asks 'If not now, when?'We Work for a Sustainable FutureAs a brand that wants to protect the future of the ecosystem, the economy, humanity, in short, life, to be among those who make the strongest contribution to its development, to create and sustain 'TOMORROWS' where there are always bees, we are also a supporter of the Sustainable Food Platform. The aim of the Sustainable Food Platform is to work to accelerate the change and transformation of healthy, safe and sustainable food systems for present and future generations. As Balparmak, we continue to work with the Sustainable Food Platform in line with this goal. By coming together on the Sustainable Food Platform, which is a common working and meeting platform for all players in the food sector, we support the development of the sector and reach sustainable food through transparent and traceable processes.

Past Sustainability and Social Responsibility Projects

a) Beekeepers and Balparmak Hand in Hand! Project

We implemented the beekeeper training we have been conducting since 2004 under the umbrella of the "Beekeeper-Balparmak Hand in Hand for Quality Honey Production" project. Within the scope of the project, which we initiated to increase the quality of honey produced in Turkey, beekeepers were given vocational training by our R&D team and expert academics in the field of beekeeping. At the same time, we created a system where beekeepers can consult and reach out to when they need. In line with this system, we benefited from the consultancy of faculty members from Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University and Ula Beekeeping Vocational School. In the first phase of the project, we focused on improving the production processes of pine honey, one of Turkey's important and unique values. In the pilot training that started in the Muğla region, we visited 14 villages and reached more than 500 beekeepers directly during these visits. We also conducted random checks in 15 thousand hives and gave advice to beekeepers for healthy and more efficient production. Within the scope of the project, we aimed to carry out various R&D studies on honey and to promote pine honey internationally by presenting these studies in national and international scientific organizations.

b) Residue, Adulteration, and Origin Detection in Honey by Region Project

We launched the "Residue, Adulteration, and Origin Detection in Honey by Region" project, which we developed in cooperation with TUBİTAK, in 2004. Within the scope of the project, which aims to solve the problems of residue, adulteration, and origin change in honey, which are among the biggest problems of the honey and beekeeping sector in Turkey, we carried out studies in 48 provinces and their districts where beekeeping is widespread in 7 different regions of Turkey. In the project; an expert team consisting of food engineers, agricultural engineers, chemists, biologists, and technicians worked, and beekeepers were given training within the scope of the project. Between 2004 and 2007, we examined the physical, microscopic, chemical, and sensory properties of 12,359 honey samples taken directly from beekeepers and performed residue analyses. During this process, some analyses that could not be performed anywhere else in Turkey became possible, and great progress was made in honey adulteration and origin detection. Thanks to the project, university-industry cooperation was established, and field studies and conferences were organized in cooperation with producer associations, provincial and district directorates of agriculture in 57 provinces and districts. Approximately 4000 beekeepers were trained at the conferences. Thanks to the technical training given to beekeepers within the framework of the project, some residue problems in Turkey were eliminated. It was also observed that honey yield increased as a result of these trainings.

c) Beekeeping training

We maintain our leadership in the honey sector and have provided beekeeper training in various beekeeping centers in Turkey. We recently conducted these free training sessions in Adana, Mersin, Balıkesir, Sakarya, and İzmir. In the training sessions, which brought together over 1200 beekeepers, we provided participants with information on various topics such as "Modern Beekeeping Techniques," "Use of Bee Products in Health," "Inspection of Foods," and "Honey Communiqué." After the training sessions, the "Sustainable Quality Awards in Honey" found their owners. The professional success of 16 beekeepers in Adana and 4 in Mersin, who made quality sustainable in honey production, was rewarded by Balparmak with pollen drying ovens.

d) Balparmak Arıcım Project

We launched the "Arıcım" project in 2015, which elevated the auditability and controllability of the honey supply process to a higher level. With the project, we aimed to effectively manage resources in the honey supply chain and monitor and protect Turkey's endemic plant structure. Within the scope of the project; we recorded the supply transactions made by approximately 13 thousand suppliers and beekeepers, and minimized the risks in supply transactions. With the Arıcım Project, we digitized the entire supply process by identifying samples taken from all over Turkey and the tins representing these samples. We created value for our business partners and suppliers with our work, where we focused on society and the environment in quality honey production. The success of the project we developed in the field of sustainable honey supply was crowned with an award in the "Supply Chain Management" category at the Sustainable Business Awards.