Darko Mandich

Darko Mandich, CEO Melibio

Darko Mandich ©Melibio
Opinion

Op Ed: Darko Mandich, CEO of MeliBio, Discusses the Dark Side of the Honey Industry

Darko Mandich, as many of our readers will know, is the CEO of MeliBio, the Californian pioneer of bee-free honey. Founded in 2020, MeliBio replaces honeybees with microorganisms to create an award-winning B2B solution for restaurants and food companies looking to offer a more ethical and sustainable alternative to honey made by bees. We reached out to Darko following some recent anti-vegan publicity in the mainstream media and after seeing some negative comments on LinkedIn. We felt MeliBio should have the chance to express its (and the bees’) side of the story. Here is what Darko had to say. Unveiling the Dark Side of Honey: Pollinator Gentrification Threatens Biodiversity By Darko Mandich, CEO of MeliBio In an era of increasing environmental awareness, the honey industry …

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Vegan honey

©Mellody
Products & Launches

MeliBio Launches Mellody, the ‘World’s First’ Realistic Plant-Based Honey

Honey innovator MeliBio announces it is launching Mellody, the “world’s first” plant-based honey brand to taste just like honey from bees. Created to provide restaurants and consumers with a sustainable alternative to bee-made honey,  Mellody is said to perform just like the original while improving the health of the planet.  Mellody recently debuted at Natural Products Expo West, and will be launching exclusively at US food service locations, including Baia (San Francisco), Little Choc Apothecary (NYC) and Motel Fried Chicken (Philadelphia), as well as Eleven Madison Park for World Bee Day. MeliBio states its plant-based honey addresses urgent issues facing both the commercial honey industry and natural ecosystems. Native bees are critical to food production and biodiversity conservation, but are under increased pressure due to …

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Meta Burger with MeliBio Honey

©Meta Burger
Gastronomy & Food Service

Colorado: Meta Burger Partners with MeliBio to Debut Bee-Free Honey on Special Menu

Meta Burger, Colorado’s leading plant-based burger chain, announces it is partnering with MeliBio to debut the world’s first bee-free honey on its menu.  Beginning in February, Meta Burger will offer a specially crafted dish made with MeliBio’s plant-based honey.  This month, customers have the chance to vote for which MeliBio honey-inspired dish they would like to see on the chain’s menu in February: Hot Honey Garlic Tender Basket, a Honey Sesame Burger, or a Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich. According to Meta Burger, which operates three locations in Denver and Boulder, this is the first time MeliBio’s bee-free honey will be available in the state of Colorado. “Meta Burger is making delicious, sustainable food more accessible,” said Michael Reeves, co-founder of Meta Burger. “Partnering with a …

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BAIA Honey Panna Cotta

©BAIA/ MeliBio
Gastronomy & Food Service

MeliBio Partners with San Francisco’s BAIA to Debut Exclusive Bee-Free Honey Menu

MeliBio, a startup making real honey without bees, announces its groundbreaking honey is now available at San Francisco’s BAIA restaurant for a limited time. From July to September, guests at BAIA can order the startup’s award-winning honey in two exclusive summertime dishes. The new collaboration comes ahead of MeliBio’s official launch at select US restaurants later this year.  BAIA will feature the honey, which MeliBio says is indistinguishable in taste and texture from conventional honey, in two plant-based menu items – a bruschetta appetizer with tomato, chili and basil and bee-free honeycomb panna cotta.  Filling a “critical gap” in flavor According to BAIA Executive Chef Joshua Yap, the brand’s honey helps to fill a critical gap in flavor. “Many times while developing a new plant-based …

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BAIA Honey Panna Cotta

©BAIA/ MeliBio
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

MeliBio Partners with San Francisco’s BAIA to Debut Exclusive Bee-Free Honey Menu

MeliBio, a startup making real honey without bees, announces its groundbreaking honey is now available at San Francisco’s BAIA restaurant for a limited time. From July to September, guests at BAIA can order the startup’s award-winning honey in two exclusive summertime dishes. The new collaboration comes ahead of MeliBio’s official launch at select US restaurants later this year.  BAIA will feature the honey, which MeliBio says is indistinguishable in taste and texture from conventional honey, in two plant-based menu items – a bruschetta appetizer with tomato, chili and basil and bee-free honeycomb panna cotta.  Filling a “critical gap” in flavor According to BAIA Executive Chef Joshua Yap, the brand’s honey helps to fill a critical gap in flavor. “Many times while developing a new plant-based …

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MeliBio Darko Mandich

MeliBio CEO Darko Mandich ©MeliBio
Society

MeliBio and Eleven Madison Park Showcase Bee-Free Honey for World Bee Day

In celebration of World Bee Day on May 20, MeliBio, the world’s first startup making real honey without bees, partnered with 3-Michelin-starred restaurant Eleven Madison Park to serve bee-free honey to a distinguished crowd of investors, creators, and leaders in conservation and government.  A high-level luncheon The exclusive event took place at Eleven Madison Park’s world-renowned NYC restaurant, where two dozen invited guests were treated to an intimate cocktail reception and four-course lunch featuring MeliBio’s award-winning bee-free honey. Guests also received commemorative Eleven Madison Park gift bags with MeliBio honey samples. Founded in 2020 by Darko Mandich and Aaron Schaller, PhD., MeliBio combines precision fermentation with plant science to create a product identical in taste and consistency to honey derived from bees. In March, the …

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