The Spolana honey harvest highlights the year-round efforts of the local beekeepers: they take the frames with honey out from the hives, extract the honey in the extractor, and then pour it into the jars. “We are delighted that the local blossom honey from Polabí annually receives a golden medal of quality at the Czech Honey competition. I hope it will be the same also this year; we will know the results this autumn. Yet, we do not plan to make honey on a larger scale. For us, bees are vital not only due to the production of honey and other substances. They ensure the pollination of crops and wild vegetation, and the quality of honey testifies to the quality of the environment both in the area and in the immediate vicinity,” Miroslav Falta, Executive Director of Spolana, comments on beekeeping’s positive impact. The honey jars are mainly used as an unusual gift, he adds. 

 

Spolana Neratovice is surrounded by an area with varied fauna and flora, also thanks to the nearby Elbe. Therefore, the idea of keeping honeybees on the former chocolate and saccharine site caught on quickly in 2018. “We have five colonies now. This year’s harvest was higher than last year because the vegetation around the beehives thrives in sunny weather. Not even the April rainfalls were a problem – the bees have quickly made it up. We tapped 60 kg of honey, i.e., by ten kilograms more than last year,” Lukáš Karlík, Head of Energy and Water Management and a keen beekeeper, speaks happily about this year’s crop.

 

This year, also children from the Libiš primary school attended the honey harvest. The company seeks to pass on them the interest in the environment through a unique experience. The programme for schoolchildren was prepared by the beekeepers and the eco-centre in Kralupy nad Vltavou. “The children were to get to know different species of honey plants and identify record holders from the animal kingdom. They were also to describe individual parts of a bee body. They also tried to make decorative pins for candles and wax candles. In reward for their efforts, the children went home will small gifts and games such as pairs, colouring books, lollipops and candy with honey themes or flavour,” concludes Martina Černá, Head of the Eco-Centre in Kralupy.
 

 

                    

 

SPOLANA a.s. is one of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The only manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam also produces ammonium sulphate and sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 700 people. Spolana has been owned by Unipetrol since 2016. The Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and production, distribution and sale of fuels and petrochemical products – mainly plastics and fertilisers. It is one of the major players in the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with the Mogul brand in Pardubice, the Spolana company in Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN Benzina petrol station network in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 420 outlets, Benzina ORLEN is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. With 13 sites in Slovakia, it is the fastest-growing network since 2019. In addition to its business development, ORLEN Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives, focusing on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, Unipetrol became part of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe.

 

Contact: Pavel Kaidl, spokesman, telephone: +420 736 502 520, e-mail: pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz