It was in 1976 that the Ballot-Flurin adventure began when a young student, fascinated by the lives of bees, decided to become a beekeeper ... Catherine became the shepherdess of her bees as others talk to horses ... Discovery.
Catherine Flurin
In 1976, Catherine Flurin is 20 years old, she is fascinated by the lives of bees and wants to become a beekeeper. Beekeepers from the Nature & Progrès network teach him the basics of this fascinating job, also known as "Shepherd Bee". But it is a productivist beekeeping which is then taught in training center, with intensive breeding methods, sometimes brutal, the use of antibiotics and weed pollutants. Catherine will therefore do the opposite and develop a method of Beekeeping DOUCE® based on respect for bees and their natural biorhythm. A new world is offered to her: that of the people of the Hive, millions of years old, who will not cease to deliver her secrets.
First hives. At 25, Catherine installs her first hives with her companion, Philippe Ballot, also beekeeper, with whom she has three children. The young couple bought a small property in ruins at the foot of the Pyrenees on two hectares of hills. The farm Ballot-Flurin Apiculturists is officially created in 1982 with great ambition: to respect the bees as a true little people 100 million years old, to understand their secret language, and to collaborate actively with the hive, so that it gives the best of itself: honey, propolis, royal jelly ... Concerned with concrete actions, they are among the first to advocate for the practice of organic beekeeping more respectful of bees, and without chemical input.
First BIO specifications. Beekeeping is developing with a loyal and environmentally aware clientele. Catherine Ballot-Flurin writes specifications to explain how she produces honey but also how she considers bees. This document will inspire the association Nature & Progrès which creates the first organic specifications for beekeeping, associated with a label. Naturally, Ballot-Flurin products are the first to be certified organic.
Apitherapy or How to Treat with Bees
Over the years, Catherine has returned to the family tradition by feeling the need to care for and contribute to the general well-being of society: she is interested in apitherapy, an ancient mode of natural care using noble ingredients. from the hive. Catherine is indeed the heiress of a family of humanist doctors ahead of their time. His father, Dr. René Flurin, practiced the profession of ENT doctor in Cauterets, famous spa town of the Pyrenees, where is now installed the Bee Pavilion.
"I have always known that bees cure and care for myself with bees: venom relieves my back, propolis calms my skin when it is irritated, so I search family grimoires and old books all the recipes for use of what was once called the "medicines" of the hive: royal jelly, propolis, pollen, beeswax, and honey care. "
First apitherapy preparations. The care balm of the Pyrenees inaugurates the first apitherapy range in 1992. Then come the black propolis extract, the gums for the throat, the soaps and the honey shampoos. Catherine has propolis recognized as a food and obtains organic certifications AB. Initially distributed within a circle of initiates, Ballot-Flurin preparations are known to a pioneering public, adept natural care. Ready to use and organic, these products appeal to the BIOCOOP networks that market them in the late 90s.
International recognition. Catherine Ballot-Flurin continues her own research in Apitherapy and on the processes of dynamisation. This discipline, stemming from the observation of bees and ancestral knowledge, is being rediscovered by scientific and alternative circles. More and more sought after as an expert in "Health by bees, Catherine Ballot-Flurin created in 2009 with Pr. Descottes and Bensch, Dr. Stangaciu, Claudette Raynal and other pioneers, the French Association of Apitherapy (AFA ). The progress in the field of the DOUCE® beekeeping, the energy Apithérapie and the dynamisation are regularly quoted and recognized in international congresses and conferences, and are the subject of official patents (processes of pollen harvesting, extraction of propolis, energy methods ...).
The Ballot-Flurin expertise is based on a naturalistic approach and advocates the observation of nature and the application of natural products from our environment. Bees show us that it is possible to create efficient, non-polluting preparations without the common side effects of the chemical pharmacopoeia.
Result of constant research in the honey-laboratory, the Abeilles & Santé range Ballot-Flurin now offers care products and hygiene from the hive, 100% natural and certified organic.
The major difference between us and other honey companies is that we use a method called Gentle Beekeeping to ethically harvest all bee-made materials we sell or use in our preparations. Gentle Beekeeping means simply treating hives with the utmost respect, with our specially trained beekeepers using techniques such as strictly regulating where we place our bees, smokeless harvesting, or honey-caching to feed each colony throughout the winter (rather than the normal cane sugar diet usually afforded them). This allows us to guarantee the happiest bees and the highest quality hive materials around.
This focus on the natural has allowed us to apply similar practices to our food and self-care products. Our range of Paleo Certified offerings, the first made in France, are prepared with health in mind. Our honey, pollen, and royal jelly is 100% raw and untreated for optimal nutritive benefits to the body. Our preparations are all made with low temperatures, manual techniques, and absolutely zero unnatural additives or chemicals. At every step of the way, we strive to augment sustainability in our communities and our environment, as well as in culture of beekeeping locally and internationally.
The preparations and bee goodies that are now Paleo Certified are the first ones available made and harvested in Europe. We chose to become certified because we see Paleo as the next logical step in the organics market: while our entire product range are all certified organic according to EU standards, we wanted to go the extra mile when it came to assuring the quality and origins of what we offer.
Paleo Certification made a lot of sense for all of our hive-sourced materials. It was a clear and concise way of elaborating our guarantee of pure and untreated honey, pollen, raw propolis, and royal jelly. However, we wanted to also extend the Paleo mark to as many of our preparations as possible, especially those that provided proven health benefits.
The flagship of our company is our hydro-extracted propolis. Using low-and-slow techniques for steeping, we have created preparations that have proven benefits and uses for taking care of yourself. The water extraction allows for a variety of formats and uses, for nose, throat, mouth, and general fortification in children and adults alike. It is a strong and versatile cure for whatever ails you.
This propolis extract is also found in some other preparations, currently certified, including our White Propolis Ampoules, which are blends of raw, natural hive-made materials specially prepared to support the energy levels of body and mind. These Ampoules are also available with our royal jelly blend, and are great taken alongside a dose of our Honey Cures: blends of raw honey and propolis or royal jelly specially created to augment the active properties of each ingredient.
Despite our general focus on health and well-being, we aren’t just a bunch of stuffy medical personel; we are based in France after all, the capital of gastronomic of Europe! It was by embracing our gourmet side that we developed the first Paleo Certified alcohol, our La Ruche Ivre Sparkling Mead. It is a simple raw honey fermentation, done without any additives like sulfites, that replicates the effects of the oldest methods of natural alcohol creation.
Of course, after enjoying a few drinks it is always good to get out and do something active, and our range of nutritious Paleo Certified preparations are here to support you and your body. Our RawBars are an easy, high-powered snack to take on the trail or up the mountain, and the fruit mix Délices or honey-nut Mendiants are perfect for a reenergizing post-exercise boost.
Our goal is to provide an ever-growing, comprehensive range of Paleo Certified preparations. With these initial entries, we feel our best foot has been put forward towards a cleaner, healthier future for all.
