Croatian prison inmates produce award-winning honey

(Illustration)

A Croatian prison’s beekeeping programme has once again proven its excellence by winning gold and silver awards.

The Lepoglava Prison in the northern Croatian town of Lepoglava  has been awarded a gold award for its acacia honey and a silver for its chestnut honey at the 16th international organoleptic honey evaluation in Vukovar.

Over 236 beekeepers from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia took part in the competition, the Ministry of Justice said on Thursday.

According to their statement, this success is the result of years of hard work, as the prison has been developing its beekeeping programme for the past 15 years, starting with just a few hives, and now managing over 100.

Over the last 10 years, the prison has implemented a continuous training programme for inmates to become beekeepers, with more than 30 inmates having completed the programme so far.

This aspect of beekeeping plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation of inmates, preparing them for reintegration into society and increasing their employment prospects.

(Production could exceed 4 tonnes)

The honey is primarily produced for inmate consumption, with a smaller portion sold on the market.

Annually, between 1.5 and 3 tonnes of honey are produced, and under ideal weather conditions, production could exceed 4 tonnes.

Honey from Lepoglava Prison has previously won silver and gold diplomas at various international evaluations, and the recent awards from Vukovar mark a continuation of the excellent results in the programmes involving inmates.

In addition to enhancing their skills, this programme enables inmates to start their own careers in beekeeping and honey production once they are released.