Producers
Mieli Thun
nomadic beekeeper · honey producer · specialty honey retailer · honey tasting and education provider
Vigo di Ton, Ton, Val di Non, Autonomous Province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy
Mieli Thun – Andrea Paternoster s.s.a.
Mieli Thun is a nomadic beekeeping producer based in Vigo di Ton, in Trentino’s Val di Non. Its bees move among more than 60 locations across Italy to follow particular blooms, producing a wide range of Italian monofloral and polyfloral honeys. The supplied specimen is strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) honey. The jar is labelled Product of Italy, but no more specific harvest location was found in product-specific public evidence.
About the Producer
A little history
Mieli Thun began in the early 1990s with Andrea Paternoster’s project to create a direct link between the brand and honey quality. Its history credits him with research into natural crystallization and the culinary use of monofloral honey. After his death in 2021, his daughters Elena and Francesca continued the project with an experienced team.
How They Work
Beekeeping in practice
Mieli Thun combines nomadic beekeeping, honey production, direct retail, tasting, and education. Colonies move among more than 60 locations across Italy to follow selected blooms. The company operates a processing laboratory, shop, and tasting space in Vigo di Ton.
Where They Work
Location and reach
World Europe Italy Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Autonomous Province of Trento Val di Non Ton Vigo di Ton
Vigo di Ton, Ton, Val di Non, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy
The producer identifies Vigo di Ton in Val di Non as its home and operating base.
Italy
Mieli Thun states that its colonies are moved at night among more than 60 locations throughout Italy to pursue selected blooms.
Sardinia, Italy
A 2021 retrospective on Andrea Paternoster specifically associated Mieli Thun’s migratory beekeeping with strawberry-tree blooms in Sardinia. This is historical forage evidence only and is not a lot-specific origin statement for the supplied jar.
Vigo di Ton, Ton, Val di Non, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy
The company operates a shop and tasting space in Vigo di Ton with more than twenty honey varieties and other hive products.
Products & Specimens
What connects to this producer
Products listed by the Producer are kept separate from specimens held in the Collection.
Strawberry Tree Honey / Extra Bitter Honey
Floral source: Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
Documented origin: Italy
Origin detail: Country
The curator-supplied physical label identifies strawberry tree honey and states Product of Italy. The official product page confirms the Arbutus unedo honey, describes it as crystallized and characteristically bitter, and lists carob, ivy, elecampane, and sarsaparilla as possible accompanying nectars. It gives an altitudinal range and October–December flowering period but names no harvest region, locality, apiary, vintage, or lot origin.
People
People connected to the work
- Andrea Paternoster Founder and beekeeper; historical originator of Mieli Thun
- Francesca Paternoster Co-leader associated publicly with apiculture, production, staff management, training, and communication
- Elena Paternoster Co-leader associated publicly with commercial and marketing activity
Practices
How they work
- Nomadic beekeeping with colonies moved at night among more than 60 Italian locations.
- Selection of sites and bloom periods for monofloral honey production.
- Laboratory extraction followed by natural settling, careful filtration, jarring, and labelling.
- Natural crystallization is deliberately managed as a textural and sensory quality.
- The producer publicly presents its honey ideal as raw, with no added ingredients or thermal treatment.
- Public honey education includes guided tastings and training for hospitality personnel.