Introduction:
Honey produced by a company from the Brazilian Amazon has once again been ranked among the best in the country in a competition organized during the 2026 Brazilian Congress of Beekeeping and Meliponiculture (CONBRAPI). The event was held in May in the city of Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. The product has gained recognition for its quality in recent years and highlights the strength of beekeeping and stingless bee farming developed in Amazonas state.

In this report, we take a closer look at Feira do Mel – Flor do Amazonas, an award-winning company that has been operating in the sector for more than three decades.

Slug: HONEY – BEEKEEPING - COMPETITION
Tag: Feira do Mel – Flor do Amazonas
Keywords: honey, bee, beekeeping, award, CONBRAPI, Amazonas, Amazon

Interviews:
Samia Leite, Administration and Marketing
Francisco Gilmar Leite, Founder of the Company

Executive Production:
Luciana Tôrres

Editing and Post-Production:
Alexandre Almeida

Production:
AMAZON AGENCY

Duration:
10:10

Opening – audio track

“We were actually a little afraid at first, thinking that we would be the smallest ones in that environment, but to our surprise, in 2023, we realized that we were very well known in the beekeeping and meliponiculture sector.”

– audio track

– Samia Leite, administration and marketing
“Many exhibitors and companies already knew us because we have been doing a really great job showcasing honey production here in Amazonas. Today, we have nearly 90,000 followers following this entire process.”

– audio track

– Francisco Gilmar Leite, founder of the company
“It has always been a family business, you know, the family, my brothers and sisters, and now today my children are the ones who take care of it. In fact, at our award ceremony in Santa Catarina, my children went there, represented me, represented the company, represented the state of Amazonas, and they did it very well. I am very happy.”

– audio track

– Samia Leite, administration and marketing
“We decided to attend this congress, which is the largest in the sector. We didn’t know about the honey competition. We had just arrived at the event when one of the clients who was there came over and tasted our honey. He told us, ‘Man, your honey is really good. Why don’t you enter the honey competition?’ It was around 3 p.m., and the competition registration was open until about 5 p.m., so we only had a few hours left to submit our honey. We started to believe in that possibility. I thought, well, if someone says we have a chance to win, let’s enter our honey. To our surprise, in 2023, we won first place for the best honey in Brazil at that congress, which hosts the largest honey competition in the country. Now, in 2026, we returned to the same congress, and we were much more confident because everyone who tasted our honey thought it was perfect, incredible, and unlike anything they had ever tasted before. So we were more confident. We carried the Amazonas flag everywhere, visited every booth, walked throughout the congress showing that we were from Amazonas and showing that our honey was truly unique.”

– audio track

“Besides being sweet, it also has a slight citrus note at the end, which makes a difference on the palate. So we were more confident this time, and once again we made it onto the podium. For us, it was very rewarding to stand on the podium again at a congress that featured more than 400 honey samples from 23 different states. Being on the podium representing honey from Amazonas was extremely special and truly gratifying.”

– audio track

“We are an agro-industrial company that processes bee products. In addition to honey, we process pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, and honeycomb. We have truly specialized in this field, and there are beekeepers and meliponiculturists who work with us, and we admire them greatly. In fact, we dedicate the Best Honey in Brazil award to all the beekeepers and meliponiculturists of Amazonas, because they can share this title as well.”

– audio track

– Francisco Gilmar Leite, founder of the company
“The color and flavor of honey vary according to the blossoms from which the bees collect nectar. We have dark honey and light honey, and they can vary in both color and taste. Generally, we use the darker honey to make the syrup, which is Sanatoss, while the lighter honey is sold pure because it is more commercial. Light honey usually has a milder flavor and aroma.”

– Samia Leite, administration and marketing
“Today, at every event we attend, people taste our honey and our Sanatoss syrup, which contains cocaína, eucalyptus, and propolis extract, made with natural oils from the Amazon. When they try it, they are impressed because they have never tasted anything like it before. It is extra strong, it provides relief for the throat and breathing, and then people start coming back, asking questions, recommending it to friends, stocking up, ordering through our e-commerce platform. That was when I truly realized and said, ‘Wow, I work with top-quality honey.’ Once I became certain of that, I had even more determination to help Feira do Mel grow into what it is today, together with my brothers, my cousin, and all our employees. We realized that our honey is different, that people genuinely admire us, enjoy the product, and that we can expand it on a national and even international level.”

– audio track

– Francisco Gilmar Leite, founder of the company
“Our activity is an agroecological activity. It is an activity that does not require deforestation. On the contrary, we need every plant because it produces flowers, and the flowers allow the bees to produce honey.”

– audio track

“I am passionate about bees. Bees are a fascinating world. You learn so much, you know, from bees.”

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“Our work is highly respected throughout Brazil. I am an illiterate man, I have no formal education. God placed me in a high position, and the best thing about me is that I strive to be a humble man. My humility is my greatest strength.”

– final audio track