A honey from Muonio in Finnish Lapland has won Finland's national honey competition. Beekeeper Markku Mykkälä took top honors with his product that impressed judges with its flavors of Arctic nature.
The winning honey comes from the Ranta-Ruonajärvi shoreline area. It displays a beautiful reddish color and smooth, liquid consistency. Bees collected nectar from local lingonberry and crowberry plants, giving the honey its distinctive Lapland character.
Competition organizers evaluated 157 honey samples from across Finland. The event concluded during a harvest seminar in Lappeenranta where 150 participants voted on finalists.
Markku Mykkälä brings approximately 30 years of beekeeping experience to his craft. He maintains over 80 beehives, most located in the Tornio region near the Swedish border.
Each year, Mykkälä transports about ten hives to the Olos and Äkäslompolo areas. This strategic move helps produce early summer honey. The same honey also won the best specific type or regional honey category.
The competition recognized four other exceptional honeys. These included products from the Turku archipelago and Helsinki's Itä-Pakila district.
Finland's honey competition demonstrates how local environmental conditions create distinct regional flavors. The winning Lapland honey showcases how Arctic flora contributes to unique culinary products that compete successfully against southern varieties.
Other category winners included:
- Best crystallized honey: Petra Öhman, Houtskari
- Best liquid honey: Nora Suojanen and Maarit Partanen, Mikkeli
- Best association honey: Stadin Tarhaajat and Hunajafrendit, Helsinki