Honey Wine Market: A Sweet and Growing Industry

From openpr.com

Honey wine, also known as mead, is an ancient alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with water. As consumers seek unique and artisanal products, the honey wine market has experienced significant growth in recent years. This post will delve into the market, exploring its size, share, opportunities, challenges, demand, and trends.

Market Size and Share

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the global honey wine market was growing at a value of USD 679.01 million in 2023 and is expected to reach a value of USD 1,531.29 million and register a CAGR of 10.70% from 2024 to 2031. In addition to the market insights such as market value, growth rate, market segments, geographical coverage, market players, and market scenario, the market report curated by the Data Bridge Market Research team includes in-depth expert analysis, import/export analysis, pricing analysis, production consumption analysis, patent analysis and consumer behaviour.

For more information, visit https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-honey-wine-market

The honey wine market is a relatively small segment of the global alcoholic beverages industry. While precise figures can vary depending on data sources and regional factors, the market is estimated to be worth billions of dollars. Key players in the market include established breweries, craft beverage producers, and smaller, artisanal honey wine makers.

Market Opportunities

The honey wine market presents several significant opportunities:

Growing consumer interest: Consumers are increasingly seeking unique and artisanal beverages, driving demand for honey wine, which offers a distinct flavour profile and historical significance.
Health benefits: Honey wine is often associated with health benefits, such as antioxidants and antimicrobial properties, which can appeal to health-conscious consumers.
Pairing versatility: Honey wine pairs well with a variety of foods, making it a versatile beverage for both casual and formal occasions.
Tourism and local economies: Honey wine can be a popular tourist attraction and can contribute to local economies by supporting beekeeping and agricultural industries.
Product innovation: There is significant potential for product innovation in the honey wine market, with opportunities to experiment with different types of honey, flavours, and aging techniques.

Market Challenges

Despite its growth potential, the honey wine market faces several challenges:

Production complexity: The production of high-quality honey wine requires specialized knowledge and techniques, which can be challenging for new entrants to the market.
Limited distribution: Honey wine may have limited distribution channels, making it difficult for producers to reach a wider audience.
Competition: The market is becoming increasingly competitive, with new producers entering the market and established breweries expanding their product lines.
Consumer education: Many consumers may be unfamiliar with honey wine, requiring education and marketing efforts to increase awareness and acceptance.
Seasonal fluctuations: The availability of honey can fluctuate seasonally, impacting production and pricing of honey wine.

Market Demand

The demand for honey wine is driven by several factors:

Consumer preferences: Consumers are seeking unique and artisanal beverages that offer a different flavour experience compared to traditional wines and beers.
Health consciousness: The perceived health benefits of honey wine can drive demand, particularly among health-conscious consumers.
Cultural significance: Honey wine has a rich history and cultural significance in many parts of the world, which can appeal to consumers interested in heritage and tradition.
Gastronomic trends: Honey wine is increasingly being paired with food, driving demand in restaurants and bars.
Gift market: Honey wine can be a popular gift item, especially for special occasions and holidays.

Market Trends

Several key trends are shaping the honey wine market:

Product innovation: Producers are experimenting with different types of honey, flavours, and aging techniques to create unique and innovative honey wines.
Sustainability: There is a growing emphasis on sustainability in the food and beverage industry, and honey wine producers are focusing on using sustainable practices, such as supporting local beekeepers and reducing their environmental impact.
Craft beverage movement: The popularity of craft beers and wines is driving demand for artisanal and unique beverages, including honey wine.
E-commerce: Online platforms are providing new channels for honey wine producers to reach consumers and expand their market reach.
Experiential marketing: Honey wine producers are increasingly focusing on experiential marketing, such as tastings, events, and partnerships with local businesses, to build brand awareness and connect with consumers.

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In conclusion, the honey wine market is a growing industry with significant potential. As consumers continue to seek unique and artisanal beverages, the demand for honey wine is expected to increase. By addressing the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities, honey wine producers can contribute to the vibrant and diverse world of alcoholic beverages.

https://www.openpr.com/news/3666183/honey-wine-market-a-sweet-and-growing-industry 

Trans Atlantic conquests for Viking culture-inspired drinks brand

From thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news

York-based Nidhoggr Mead Co, which featured on BBC1’s Dragons’ Den earlier in the year, is expanding its honey mead drinks brand into the USA after securing deals worth more than £2m.

Peter Taylor, founder of Nidhoggr Mead Co and Viking enthusiast, recently embarked on a 17-day USA road-trip which saw him visit 14 states where he showcased his British honey mead drinks to American businesses.

This resulted in the brand securing more than £2m worth of sales with listings at seven renaissance and medieval fairs along with six-figure deals to supply more than 40,000 bottles of its authentic 100% pure honey mead to distributors across the country next year.

This success has resulted in the business investing in a rapid expansion to scale up its UK production and recruit more staff with a view to build a new meadery to cope with volumes.

Taylor, founder and MD, said: “Our USA trip involved us criss-crossing 14 states with the aim of bringing our traditional honey mead to a US audience and the response was fantastic.

“It’s always been an ambition to conquer the States as they love British products, just as much as they love Viking history.

“These deals enable us to scale our UK production and become the largest British authentic honey mead producer. We’re now looking for investment to help us realise our ambitious growth plans.”

The USA trip ended with a Meet the Buyer Great British Showcase event at the British Consulate General in New York meeting several businesses. The event was organised by the British government to encourage British export to the US.

Taylor first discovered honey mead at Viking re-enactment tournaments. He was inspired by his mother-in-law who brewed homemade mead to experiment making his own authentic mead at home using 100% local Yorkshire honey.

Nidhoggr Mead Co launched in 2020 and has since grown to become the UK’s largest 100% authentic honey mead brand crafting in excess of 100,000 bottles a year from its purpose-built meadery in York.

The team of 15 craft the honey mead using locally and sustainably harvested Yorkshire honey and natural flavours.

Taylor added: “Our focus on crafting authentic mead made simply with fermented honey has helped us capture a fan-base of drinkers who are looking for a drink with a difference that bridges the gap between a spirit and a wine.

“Mead is incredibly versatile and makes the most delicious cocktails so we’re excited to introduce it to even more people.”

The USA range will feature three flavours of the 15% ABV alcoholic drink; Traditional, Elderflower and Sour Cherry.

Honey Mead is one of the world’s oldest alcoholic drinks made simply from fermented honey.

https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/2129270-trans-atlantic-conquests-for-viking-culture-inspired-drinks-brand 

DRINK OF THE VIKINGS: Veteran business owner brings his mead to New Braunfels through Valkyrie’s Kiss

From herald-zeitung.com

In a German city of beer, Valkyrie’s Kiss is the first meadery.

Mead is an alcoholic beverage that, while having a similar production process as wine, is actually a drink in its own category separate from beer and wine. Instead of grapes, honey is used in addition to water and yeast to create mead. The drink is the oldest recorded alcoholic beverage in human history, predating wine by at least 3,000 years.

When Comal County native Isaac Pruna finished serving in the Army, his plan was to open a brewery and wedding venue. Soon, he realized that the beer and wine market was starting to fall, and when researching wedding venues, he learned that the term “honeymoon” came from mead.

Then, Pruna started to get more interested in the drink.

“Some of my buddies, too, were making [mead] at their house, and I was like, ‘What is this?’” Pruna said. “Then I went to a couple of Renaissance festivals, and I started drinking a lot more of it … and I wondered if I could make something out of it.”

         Valkyrie's Kiss Mead owner Isaac Pruna poses for a photo on Sept. 17, 2024.  BLAINE YOUNG | Herald-Zeitung

Pruna started digging deeper into the world of mead and found a mentor: Micah Erwin of Elgin Meadery. Pruna and his team learned more about making mead and purchased some of the recipes from Erwin before he retired.

“My brewers and I, we had never done commercial mead making, so [Erwin] definitely helped,” Pruna said.

In Norse mythology, valkyries are female figures who guide souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla, Odin’s majestic hall, similar to heaven in Christianity. The meadery’s name is inspired by this tale and Pruna’s military background.

“I had a bunch of other names and I narrowed it down to this partly because of my brothers in arms,” Pruna said. “I served 10 years in the Army and I lost some buddies, so it was just kind of an homage to them, hoping that they were able to get kissed by the valkyrie and get to go to where it is that they wanted to go, whether it be heaven or Valhalla.”

          Jonmikel Van Cleve bottles blackberry mead at Valkyrie's Kiss Mead on Sept. 17, 2024.  BLAINE YOUNG | Herald-Zeitung

Valkyrie’s Kiss offers several varieties of mead, including a traditional dry, cherry, lemon, a sweet traditional and other seasonal and premium flavours. Some of the flavouring ingredients, specifically elderberry and hibiscus, are purchased from the New Braunfels Farmers Market. The rest of the fruits needed for flavouring are purchased elsewhere but are still fresh, and Pruna says he is looking for local farmers that can supply the quantity needed for production.

The mead is bottled and corked by hand after being fermented and aged in-house. All of the honey used comes either from Youngblood Honey in Pearsall or Holdman Honey in Seguin. Each batch of mead requires four 55-gallon barrels of honey.

                                                 Bottles of mead from Valkyrie's Kiss Mead on Sept. 17, 2024.  BLAINE YOUNG | Herald-Zeitung

The mead is available for purchase at the New Braunfels and Boerne farmers markets as well as the farmers market at The Pearl in San Antonio — or customers can make reservations to come to the meadery and do tastings on Fridays and Sundays. Charcuterie boards arranged by Otto’s Cheese Shop are also available at tastings.

Several local restaurants and bars carry Valkyrie’s Kiss, including Moonshine & Ale and Loki’s Axe Haus, as well as a few places in Austin and Houston. If none of these options are available, Pruna says customers can also contact him to arrange local pickup.

Valkyrie’s Kiss is located at 6500 State Highway 46 West in New Braunfels. The phone number is 830-481-2101, and they can be found online at valkyrieskissmead.com.

https://herald-zeitung.com/news/drink-of-the-vikings-veteran-business-owner-brings-his-mead-to-new-braunfels-through-valkyrie/article_cad718e8-7537-11ef-b01f-9fcdb5136f26.html 

British Columbia: The science and art of making mead at Vernon's Planet Bee

From infotel.ca

Mead has been gaining in popularity as an alcoholic beverage but also as a craft and career. Planet Bee in Vernon is a case in point.

James Nowek, co-owner of Planet Bee honey farm, makes mead right on the premises from honey harvested from hives on the farm.

Mead is a fermented honey-based wine, consisting of honey, water and yeast as the most basic three ingredients. Over time, the yeast eats the sugars in the honey turning the water into mead and then its ready for drinking.

There aren't a lot of wineries in the North Okanagan compared to the Central and Southern parts of the valley, so that's left some room for producers of mead.

Nowek took up full time mead making at the farm in 2018 and has had a passion for it ever since.

“To be able to taste your product at the end is a pretty nice way to reward yourself when you have something that’s successful and works well,” Nowek said.

                                                    James and Alexandra Nowek at Plant Bee in Vernon raise a glass of their product.

                                                                            Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Planet Bee

When he started mead making, Nowek thought more diversity in mead flavours was needed to cater to more people, so he started experimenting.

“In terms of sweetness, it could be anywhere from super dry to insanely sweet. It can be anywhere for four or five per cent of alcohol to 17 per cent. You can add spices, fruits, age it in barrels, it’s really wide open,” Nowek said. “No matter what somebody’s preference is for a drink, there’s probably mead out there.”

The longer the fermentation process, the more alcohol content the batch of mead will contain.

A typical batch of mead at Planet Bee takes about a month of primary fermentation followed by the secondary fermentation for another three to four weeks. The batch will then go through a one-month period of fining, which is clarifying, filtering and bottling the wine.

Mead with higher percentages of alcohol, like Planet Bee’s Ode to Odin at 17 per cent, go through a more extensive time process with an additional month tacked on to the secondary fermentation process. Ode to Odin can take four or five months to create then it's aged in a whisky barrel for six months.

                                                         Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Planet Bee

Good yeast is a vital component in mead making as it starts the fermentation process.

“You don’t want the yeast to starve, but you also don’t want to flood them and overfeed them. A lot of fermenters used to just give all the nutrients right away up front and then just watch it kind of peter out as it went on and then found out it's a much healthier, cleaner ferment if you just add little bits at a time,” Nowek said.

He said if you've had mead before and it wasn't to your taste, throw that expectation out the window.

“Every meadery you go to is going to be totally different,” he said. “Even if you didn’t like all of our meads here, please still try a mead at another meadery, because you’ll probably find one you like somewhere.”

Altering a pre-conceived notion of mead for visitors on the farm is always an exciting opportunity for Nowek. Planet Bee offers free samples of their mead creations to visitors so they can take a sip and experience the unique taste and learn what type of mead they may or may not enjoy.

Nowek said a lot of people expect mead to be extremely sweet due to the honey but are often surprised by the flavours and how dry the mead can be.

The classic and most popular mead sold on the farm is a traditional dry mead. Dubbed Okanagan Delight it has a light, crisp, clean and slightly sour taste.

Nowek is also working on Norse, Egyptian and a Greek themed-mead which will be coming out soon. All of these meads hold different flavour profiles. The Egyptian has a sweet and strong in taste.

Cherry, blackberry and black current meads are also a fan favourite at Planet Bee and popular choices among visitors.

Nowek looks at mead making as a passion project and a science project simultaneously. The creativity needed, as well as the formulas, can create the perfect batch of house made mead.

“And that’s the true art to it," he said.

https://infotel.ca/inwine/the-science-and-art-of-making-mead-at-vernons-planet-bee/it106487 

Australia: Mead, with the Sydney producer trying to make it cool again

From drinkstrade.com.au

The oldest recorded alcoholic beverage documented by archaeological records dates back to around 7000 BCE in Jiahu, a Neolithic village in the Yellow River Valley, China. The residues discovered were from a fermented beverage made of rice, honey, hawthorn fruit and/or grape, a concoction that most closely resembles mead as it is known today. 

In addition to its historical importance, mead also carries with it various notable strong sales points: it is a produce-driven product that can reflect terroir in a manner similar to wine, it varies in sweetness and abv depending on production methods, and it can be altered via flavour additives to craft new styles altogether. 

Despite all of this, however, traditional mead as a beverage category continues to struggle on the Australian market. This is in spite of Australia having a strong reputation for mead production, with notable producers such as Maxwell Wines having produced world-renowned meads for upwards of forty years.

“I think as it stands here now, there’s no place for it really, outside of the Renaissance fairs,” said Tim Engelbrecht, Founder of recently launched Sydney meadery Greedy Bear.

“There’s no demand for it… Like mead, sure, it’s a category if you know it, but also it’s not really in a sense.”

By definition, mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, occasionally with fruits, spices, grains and hops mixed in. Its alcohol content can range from 3.5% abv to more than 20%, and it can be still, carbonated, naturally sparkling, and at any degree of sweetness level. According to Engelbrecht, “the sky’s the limit in the craft space” of mead production.

“There’s also things like Pyments, which is a mixture of grape, sugar, and honey. We’ve got Braggots, which is a mixture of grain, sugar, and honey, so there’s all these really cool collaboration opportunities, which I’m very excited to explore… Also Cyser, which is supposed to be a combination of apple or pear sugar with honey.

“They’re all weird freaking old terms, which I kind of want to change because they’re complicated. Like mead’s weird enough.” 

Despite being an extremely variable category depending on human input, mead is a product that can occur naturally in nature.

“The cool thing I like about it is how it all began with spontaneous fermentation, which is something I’d like to explore further along,” said Engelbrecht. 

“So the theory is basically you’ve got honey/a hive; it gets washed into the hollow of a tree trunk or something, and then water comes, mixes with it, spontaneously ferments, people discover it and [then] recreate it.”

It is this capacity to occur unprompted out in nature that positions its history further back than that of any other alcoholic category, according to current archaeological evidence. Similarly, being naturally occurring has resulted in a vast array of different mead variants from cultures from right around the world. The official mead wikipedia page lists more than 50 different traditional mead styles pertaining to cultures as diverse as Mexico, Philippines, Lithuania, and even Kenya.

While craft mead production has been slow to emerge onto the Australian market, recent years have seen the sector boom in the US, UK, New Zealand, and India. 

According to Engelbrecht, “we’re like eight/ten years behind America, right? That’s what I’ve been hearing anyway. They went from zero meaderies to like 800 in a very short space of time. Of course, it’s America: it’s way bigger, so you’ve got way more clientele there, but I actually went and visited America and went to their kind of top meaderies and some of these guys are putting out one to two million litres of this stuff a year.

“[Also] in India, in England, there’s a couple of big ones. In England there’s these guys called Gosnells… and in India, there’s Moonshine Meadery, who have a really big meadery, and they’re popping out. 

“There’s also these guys who are making some in New Zealand, these bloody Gen Z kids, and they are making heaps of it. They’re making like a lemon soda mead, and they’re selling lots of that, I think almost half a million litres of it. Which is like, you know, not stacked, but it’s enough to be a functioning business.”

In New Zealand, the lemon flavoured mead subcategory appears to be gaining some traction, with both the 5.5% abv Kāmahi Blossom + Lemon mead mentioned by Engelbrecht and the Beehave Non-Alcoholic Lemon Mead occupying the space. Similarly, much of the revival of the mead category in the US has been driven by flavour innovation in the craft mead space. 

“There’s definitely an appetite for it there, especially the way they’re doing it,” said Engelbrecht.

“I’ve seen some really cool meaderies that do dabble in session meads, which is what I’m making, as well as your ‘traditional’ style, but they’re definitely not traditional, they’re like a craft traditional. They’re like peanut butter jelly 14% meads, which, again, it’s a little bit dessert wine-ish. But yeah, there’s guys over there who have restaurants, like mead pairing restaurants, and tasting rooms; and it’s really interesting. It’s definitely booming over there.”

Greedy Bear launched its first product to market in July, contract brewing out of Rocks Brewing Co in Alexandria, Sydney. The Greedy Bear Original is a canned sparkling session mead with at an abv of 4%: “That’s the only reason I’m doing this commercially, because I think this kind of craft mead space, that’s the only way it can exist. It has to be in that fast format, canned, sparkling, something you can enjoy on the beach.”

Interestingly, Engelbrecht says that very little of his customer base is coming from traditional mead consumers.

“I’ve done a competitor analysis, they’re not even on there. They’re like a third rung, because it’s a completely different product. So, yeah, I’m targeting ginger beer drinkers, cider drinkers, seltzer drinkers, and any alternative RTD.” 

Looking forward, Engelbrecht is hopeful that the current strong mead category growth in the US will translate to the Australian market. Furthermore, he believes that growth in craft mead could subsequently translate into a resurgence of traditional mead subcategories. 

“I’ve always wanted to get people through the door with a really nice session mead that’s very approachable and then introduce them to varying degrees of mead,” he said. 

“I would love to have a barrel ageing program where I do make some very cool sippable dessert wine styles so you can get a nice flight of meads, you know, from all those wonderful things I’ve told you about. 

“I think that could totally reinvigorate that whole, the traditional side of things. So that’s the dream.”

To learn more about Greedy Bear, visit its website here.

https://www.drinkstrade.com.au/explained-mead-with-the-sydney-producer-trying-to-make-it-cool-again 

Washington USA: Mr. B's Meadery set to open in former Center Tool location in White Center, Seattle

From westsideseattle.com 

This is the second location for the company; Fremont opened in 2021

White Center residents will soon have a unique addition to their local beverage scene. Brandon Eller, owner of Mr. B's Meadery in Fremont, has purchased the former Center Tool Rental building at 9444 Delridge Way SW with plans to open a second location of his successful meadery.

Eller, a White Center native, expressed excitement about bringing his business to his hometown. "I grew up in White Center, so this is my hometown," he said. The new location is expected to open its doors between November 2024 and January 2025, pending license transfers and renovations.

Mr. B's Meadery, which opened its first tasting room in Fremont in July 2021, has quickly become a popular destination for mead enthusiasts. Eller offers an impressive selection of over 18 rotating flavours, ranging from dry to sweet, and including fruit, spicy, and sparkling varieties.

The new White Center location will feature two distinct areas. The main space will be designed to resemble an enchanted forest, complete with plants and rustic, whimsical decor. A smaller area, dubbed "The Tool Crib" in homage to the building's history, will serve as additional tasting space and showcase old tools in a unique, post-apocalyptic style setting.

Visitors to the new meadery can expect to enjoy mead by the glass, in tasting flights, or to-go in bottles and growlers. The facility will be all-ages, setting it apart from many alcohol-serving establishments. While food options will initially be limited, Eller hinted at the possibility of expanding their offerings in the future.

For those unfamiliar with mead, Eller explained that it's actually the oldest known alcoholic beverage, predating both beer and wine. Made from fermented honey, mead can be crafted into a wide variety of styles and flavours. Popular offerings at Mr. B's include "Dragon's Breath," a full-strength mead featuring ginger, cardamom, lemon, lime, and ghost pepper, and "Queen's Diamond," a lower-alcohol sparkling mead with lavender, lemon, and lime.

As White Center continues to evolve, the addition of Mr. B's Meadery promises to bring a touch of ancient tradition mixed with modern craft beverage culture to the neighbourhood.

https://www.westsideseattle.com/robinson-papers/2024/09/03/mr-bs-meadery-set-open-former-center-tool-location-white-center