Meli

What Meli does

Meli NV is a privately held Belgian honey producer and brand owner headquartered in Veurne, founded in 1925 by Alberic Florizoone and still controlled by the Florizoone family. The company sources honey globally from beekeepers in Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Eastern Europe and Belgium, then blends, tests and packages it at its 4,660 m² Veurne facility, which houses a proprietary NMR spectrometer lab introduced in 2016 to authenticate origin, purity and quality of every lot. Its product portfolio spans the flagship Meli Honing liquid and solid honey, the premium Melapi single-origin line, the Apo Melapi apothecary range, Chanflor specialty honey, plus honey cakes (honingkoek), filled honey waffles, honey sticks, royal jelly dosing tubes and an organic date syrup.

The business operates three distinct go-to-market streams: (1) consumer retail in Belgium (and selective European markets — NL, FR, ES, IT, PT, GR) through jars, squeeze bottles and portion packs in supermarkets; (2) foodservice/horeca supply of professional pack sizes to hotels, restaurants and caterers; and (3) industrial bulk supply in buckets, IBCs and silos to bakeries, meat processors, breakfast cereal producers and pet food manufacturers. Pricing is unit-based with custom quotes for industrial contracts, and the industrial channel uses multi-year agreements. The company holds BRC, IFS, Certisys organic (BE-BIO-01) and FloCert Fairtrade certifications, and was reported to be delivering consistent double-digit growth over the past decade with approximately 50 employees. Its 2021 acquisition of de Traay, the largest Dutch honey company, expanded both assortment and the Dutch market footprint.

Name

Meli

Legal name

Meli NV

Website

https://meli.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Meli NV is a family-owned Belgian honey producer founded in 1925 that globally sources, blends and packages honey and honey-derived products (cakes, waffles, royal jelly, date syrup) for Belgian retail, European foodservice and industrial bulk buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Honey Products

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Honey & Natural Sweet Spreads Manufacturing (AFAKADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Value-Added Bee Products Manufacturing (Candles, Cosmetics, Supplements, Mead Ingredients) (AFAEAHAM)

Keywords

• Honey processing
• Honey products
• Food manufacturing
• Consumer packaged goods
• Bulk honey supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Veurne

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Consumer Products: Honey, honey cakes, honey waffles, and specialty honey products sold through Belgian retailers and supermarkets in various packaging formats (jars, squeeze bottles, sticks, portions)
2. Foodservice/Horeca: Honey and honey products for professional food service including hotels, restaurants, and catering, offered in convenient individual packages and larger formats
3. Industrial Honey Supply: Bulk honey supply for food industry including bakeries, meat industry, breakfast cereals, and pet food manufacturers, available in buckets, IBCs, and silos

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Meli is a Belgian honey company that processes, blends, packages, and distributes honey and honey-derived products. The product portfolio spans liquid and solid/creamy honey, organic and mono-floral specialty varieties, regional single-origin honeys, honey cakes (honingkoek), filled honey waffles, honey sticks, royal jelly, and organic date syrup. Products are sold under the Meli, Chanflor, Melapi, and Apo Melapi brands in packaging from 8g single-serve sticks up to industrial IBCs and silos, distributed through Belgian retail, foodservice/horeca, and industrial bulk channels.

Product overview

Meli is a Belgian honey company offering a comprehensive portfolio of honey and honey-derived products. The core offering centers on Meli Honing, available in liquid and solid/creamy formats, complemented by specialty honeys (organic, acacia, orange blossom, thyme, ginger-infused, royal jelly blends), regional honey collections (Greece, Sicily, Andalusia, Algarve, Belgium), and the premium Melapi sub-brand. The product line extends to value-added products including honey cakes (honingkoek), filled honey waffles, honey sticks, and organic date syrup. Meli also offers royal jelly in dosing tubes and the Chanflor honey line. Products are distributed across retail (consumer packaging), foodservice, and industrial channels, with the company operating one of Europe's most technologically advanced honey processing facilities in Veurne, Belgium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chanflor: Specialty mountain honey sourced from Europe and Latin America, with a creamy floral taste.
• Melapi
• Apo Melapi

Products and services

• Meli Honey (Meli Honing) The primary flagship honey product, sourced globally and blended by Meli's Taste Masters to create a consistent signature flavor. Available in liquid and solid/creamy formats across multiple packaging sizes.
• Liquid Honey Transparent golden liquid honey available in jars, squeeze bottles, and various sizes for retail and foodservice use.
• Solid Honey (Vaste Honing) Creamy, spreadable solid honey packaged in wide-mouth jars, available in sizes from 40g to 1kg.
• Organic Honey Multi-floral honey from certified organic farms, inspected by Certisys BE-BIO-01.
• Acacia Honey Mono-floral honey with neutral flavor, available in liquid and squeeze bottle formats.
• Orange Blossom Honey Aromatic honey with distinctive orange blossom notes.
• Thyme Honey Distinctive regional honey with pronounced thyme flavor.
• Honey with Royal Jelly Honey blended with royal jelly for enhanced nutritional properties.
• Honey with Ginger Honey infused with ginger for a spicy-sweet flavor profile.
• Royal Jelly in Dosing Tube Pure royal jelly in a convenient dosing tube format (12x10g), the queen bee's exclusive food.
• Regional Honey Collection Single-origin regional honeys including Honey from Greece, Honey from Andalusia, Honey from Sicily, Honey from Algarve, and Belgian Regional Flower Honey Cream.
• Melapi Sub-Brand Premium Honeys Premium honey collection featuring single-origin varieties including Thyme, Orange Blossom, Mountain, Rosemary, Linden, Acacia, Polyflora, Forest, and Royal Jelly honey in 500g format.
• Apo Melapi (Pharmacy Range) Pharmacy-exclusive apothecary-style royal jelly and honey line for health applications.
• Chanflor Honey Multi-floral honey from Europe and Latin America, available in Mountain and standard varieties with a creamy floral taste.
• Honey Cake (Honingkoek) Traditional Belgian honey cake prepared with Meli honey according to traditional family recipes. Available in regular and with-sugar variants.
• Melinettes (Honey Cake Slices) Individual honey cake slices, pre-packaged for convenient consumption.
• Filled Honey Waffles Crunchy waffles filled with Meli honey, made with premium butter and available in multi-pack format.
• Honey Sticks Convenient single-serve honey portions in stick format (120x8g) for easy use and portability.
• Organic Date Syrup 100% plant-based, organic, neutral-tasting date syrup and sweetener.
• Industrial Honey Supply Bulk honey supply for food industry including flower honey, Meli honey, acacia honey, and organic honey available in buckets, IBCs, and silos.
• Foodservice Honey Products Honey and honey products for foodservice sector including individual packages, honey cakes, and waffles for breakfast, lunch, and snack applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% more sweetening power than refined sugar
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• de TraaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Acquired the largest Dutch honey company in 2021, significantly expanding Meli's honey assortment and enabling continued development and search for new honey origins, blends, and flavors from around the world.
• Jef Torfs (Bijenboer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Belgian beekeeper collaboration for exclusive regional honey specialty. Partnership with Jef Torfs from Aarschot enables Meli to offer Belgian regional flower honey as part of their European discovery journey.
• Studio 100minorOthersAcquired Meli Park (amusement park business) from the Florizoone family in 1999, allowing Meli to focus on core honey business. The park was rebranded as Plopsaland.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Capilano Honey: Australia's largest honey brand with global sourcing and export scale — relevant as a larger incumbent honey specialist with multi-region sourcing and branded retail presence.
• Sioux Honey Association: US cooperative honey processor supplying retail private-label and branded formats — relevant as a larger honey packer competing in both consumer and industrial ingredient channels.
• Nate's 100% Pure Honey: US honey brand with retail and foodservice products built on traceability and purity messaging — comparable as a branded honey specialist emphasising authenticity in consumer channels.

Direct peers

• Rowse Honey: UK market-leading honey brand (owned by Premier Foods) sold through major grocers with single-origin and squeeze formats — comparable as a national champion honey brand with retail and foodservice breadth.
• Hilltop Honey: UK specialty honey brand sourcing globally and selling through premium retail, foodservice, and own-brand channels — directly comparable to Meli's Melapi-style premium single-origin proposition.
• Langnese Honig: Germany's largest branded honey packer, operating across retail and foodservice with a broad multi-floral and specialty honey range — directly comparable to Meli's consumer + industrial + specialty mix in continental Europe.
• Walter Lang Honig: German family-run honey processor and packer serving retail and industrial customers — comparable to Meli's 100-year family heritage model and broad multi-channel European positioning.

Others

• Barkman Honey: US-based honey supplier focused on food industry ingredient supply — comparable as a bulk industrial honey supplier to food manufacturers, similar to Meli's industrial business unit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meli-honey

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Meli