Nongshim supports beekeepers for stable supply of honey

Nongshim has launched an initiative to help local beekeepers by planting trees that honeybees need in order to make honey, according to the major instant noodle and snack producer, Thursday.

The company on Monday jointly hosted an event with the Korea Beekeeping Association and Buan County Office to commemorate the plan for planting the trees, which are threatened by climate change. The event at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Wanju County, North Jeolla Province, saw the parties agreeing to plant six different tree species at a beekeeping test site of the institute and a honeybee farm in Buan, also in the same province. A total of 450 bee-bee trees, Japanese raisin trees, false acacias, Amur maples, stalkless-flower eleutheros and Amur cork trees will be introduced for the project.

The event follows the company’s agreement last year with the institute and the association to jointly support the country’s beekeeping industry after finding that climate-related ecosystem changes were affecting tree numbers, reducing honey production and shaking the industry.

The predicament presented a threat to the company as well because it has been purchasing 160 tons of acacia honey from local beekeepers annually to manufacture its Honey Twist Snack, a signature product for the past 50 years. Each bag of the crunchy bites needs three grams of honey, according to the company.

“Domestic acacia honey is a key ingredient for one of our most popular products so any problem for the local beekeeping industry means a problem for our operations as well,” said an official from the company.

Since signing the agreement last year, Nongshim has been supporting local beekeepers by providing disease diagnosis kits for honeybees, smart devices for outstanding honeybee farms and mentoring programs for fledgling beekeepers in their 20s and 30s.