SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Fom the vast Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert to the mountain landscapes, the UAE is home to a diverse range of honey varieties. While these distinctive types of honey are highly valued, producing them often requires beekeepers to contend with extreme heat, remote locations and narrow flowering seasons.
At Global Food Week 2026, Aletihad asked Emirati beekeepers which honey is the hardest to produce and why.
Mohammed Al Kalbani, owner of Al Gharbyah Honey, said Rub’ Al Khali Flower Honey is particularly challenging.
“Rub’ Al Khali Flower Honey” is a seasonal desert honey produced by bees feeding on wildflowers and desert plants that bloom in Rub’ Al Khali or the Empty Quarter – the world’s largest uninterrupted desert – particularly after rainfall.
It is often characterised by its light colour and tendency to crystallise naturally.
“The plant is far away and the temperatures are high, which makes production difficult for the bees,” he said.
Suha Al Ali, owner of Aldhabi Honey, said Samar honey, produced from the nectar of the Samar tree, one of the UAE’s most prized native species, is among the challenging varieties to produce.
“The hardest type for us is Samar honey because it is produced in the mountains, and depends on the season and whether there has been rain,” she said. “It is produced in the height of summer, so we consider it one of the hardest types of honey and almost the most expensive in the UAE.”
Hazaa Alkaabi, owner of Al Qatara Natural Honey, also pointed to the wild mountain honey. “The hardest is wild mountain honey during the Samar flowering season because of the difficulty of climbing the mountains and the heat,” he said.
Seddiqa Kokhardi, owner of Bee Bite, similarly identified Samar honey as one of the most challenging varieties she has produced. “One of the hardest types I have tried is Samar honey because the locations are far away, between the mountains and in difficult terrain,” she said. “You need suitable vehicles and driving experience to reach these places.”
She added that heat and humidity create another challenge for beekeepers during the production period, although these difficulties can be overcome with experience.
Ali Alshamsi, owner of Happy Key Honey, said producing high-quality wild honey requires beekeepers to actively seek out the best natural grazing areas. “We therefore move the wild honeybee hives to the mountains and mountain peaks to ensure high-quality production.”
Hashem Alkaabi, owner of Firstborn of Bees Honey Trading, said his apiaries produce several varieties, including Sidr, Samar, Ghaf, mangrove and Rub’ Al Khali Flower Honey.
While he said production has generally become easier, Rub’ Al Khali Flower Honey remains comparatively challenging.
“Thank God, we do not face difficulties in producing honey, and things have become easier with the support of our wise government,” he said. “However, Rub’ Al Khali Flower Honey is a little more difficult to extract, and its flowers require the right timing.”