Hi there!
Rafi and Kitty here from Kubo Honey. We grew up loving wild honey, and we’re so happy you're here. 🧡 Here’s a little more about how Kubo Honey began, and we hope you’re enjoying your honeys!
🐝 Growing up with wild honeys
It all started with our dad — a mountaineer and missionary whose adventures led him to meet local honey hunters in remote provinces. Since his first honey exploration in 2014, he has collected over 30 wild honey varietals from across the Philippines.
He told us countless stories growing up: about honey and the honey hunters, explaining the colors, flavors, forests, nectar sources, and bees behind each varietal.
And we always had a stock of our favorites in the kitchen: pouring as much honey as we wanted into our drinks or baking experiments and drizzling onto everyday meals that needed a little extra sparkle.
🐝 Why we started Kubo Honey
We didn't think much of it until we started sharing these honeys with our friends. They'd never tasted flavors like these before. Some thought honey was just honey; others knew only of the honeys from abroad and had no idea we had these.
It was always a delight to see their amazement as they tried the honeys and enjoyed these new flavors, and over the years we felt that we couldn't just keep this to ourselves. We had to share these delicious honeys with more people so they can also experience and appreciate wild honey too.
Honey had been so commoditized and there was widespread doubt around the purity of these honeys in the market. Not one conversation about tasting notes, no hype from the people who seek out culinary experiences, apart from the occasional truffle and spicy honeys.
Meanwhile, we had an abundance of wild-foraged varietals in all shades and flavors, completely natural--something that should be appreciated like fine wine or specialty coffee. We had to do it justice!
🐝 2024 → today: two years of Kubo Honey
So we started Kubo Honey in 2024 with three of our favorite varietals from our dad's honey hoard. We chose a golden yellow for our signature color, sleek against silver caps of our glass jars. We wanted the honey to shine: so clear minimal labels it was, listing only its origins, flavors, and bee types.
And it worked! We're now sharing several stories a day from our customers patronizing Philippine wild honey, and we continue to receive so much support for Kubo Honey.
Our community has given us so much to celebrate: from selling out last Christmas, to our newest release becoming our best-selling varietal yet, and celebrating one year at Salcedo Market. More new releases are coming up, and we can't wait to see where this takes us next.
🐝 Thank you, Kubo Honey community
It's been so fulfilling to share the experience of exploring and enjoying wild honey that we were lucky enough to have, even with all the challenges of starting a business. It makes it all worth it when we wee our customers light up at honey tastings, find their favorite honey pairings, and become our regulars.
We're grateful to each and every one for making this journey sweeter. It's such a blessing to have the support of our whole Kubo Honey community: for our team in Manila and also for our partner honey hunters in Polillo, Mindoro, and Mindanao that now wider more stable markets for the honeys they forage.
🐝 There's a whole world of wild honey waiting
There's really so much wild honey to explore in the Philippines. We hope that through Kubo Honey, you'll discover your favorite varietals, find ways to enjoy them every day, and share the love for honey along the way.
