Danny and Stephan have lived vegan for years. They didn't want to give up honey, however. With Vegablum, they produce a vegan alternative using plant extracts. This allows the bees to keep their honey.
A conversation with Danny Nowak from Vegablum
Vegablum makes honey without bees. How does that work?
"Wonig" (a portmanteau of the German words for "honey" and "vegan") isn't technically honey, but a vegan honey alternative. Our made-up word shows that it resembles honey and yet is something different. To produce it, we basically use an ancient home recipe. We found it on the internet. Dandelion honey is actually the most well-known recipe. We cook blossoms and sugar with spices, similar to jam. The cooking time, however, is much longer. The result is a Wonig that very closely resembles bee honey in taste and consistency. It’s a great honey alternative for vegans and others alike.
Wonig is an alternative for vegans.
Why should bees keep their honey?
First and foremost, we live completely vegan, and that concerns all animals. Whether humans are taking milk from a cow or honey from bees: we don't want to support that. In many countries, honey production is akin to factory farming. The industry breeds bees to be highly productive and runs their honeycombs through machines. Humans thoughtlessly trample the insects in the process. For me, it’s exactly the same as with high-yield dairy cows. Bees are also exploited in order to produce as much honey as possible.
How did you come up with the idea for Wonig?
We’ve been living vegan for about seven years. Back then, I loved visiting medieval markets and always drank plenty of mead. I looked on the internet to see if there was a vegan honey wine. At the same time, we stumbled upon the old dandelion honey recipe. We then experimented in our kitchen. We proudly took the first six jars to our vegan association’s information booth. Everyone was absolutely thrilled. We produced more and more and couldn't avoid founding our own company.
We cook down marigold and daisy blossoms.
Which Wonig varieties are there and how do they taste?
One of the most popular varieties is Wonig Dandelion. It has a floral aroma. Many say it tastes exactly like real honey. A relatively new addition to our range is Lavender Wonig with a hint of tonka. It is intense and has become very popular. We use blossoms like marigold or daisies, and we cook Wonig with apples, which gives it a fruity note. We have variants like apple pie, apple cinnamon, or apple chili. They are great for cooking, baking, and refining marinades. Our Tapi Dream is brand new. It consists of tapioca syrup and is sugar-free and low-fructose. We will be launching more exciting varieties soon.
How do new recipes come about, e.g., Tapi Dream with cassava root?
We always look for what is exciting and new on the market, and we try a lot of things out. We then experiment with other blossoms and spices in our kitchen. Tapi Dream consists of tapioca syrup, which is similar to rice or maple syrup. We refine it with pure plant extracts and already have ideas for new varieties. Sometimes customers also have suggestions. Normally, we are often out at trade fairs and markets. We have small sample jars there, and people tell us what they like best. Actually, in the selection of our varieties, there is always something for every taste.
Tapi Dream consists of tapioca syrup.
Where do you source the blossoms?
It isn't quite easy to get high-quality organic blossoms in large quantities. We have partners in Germany and Austria and source some from Poland. Sometimes people ask us if we aren't stealing the blossoms from the bees. But the flowers and plants are grown specifically for sale. It’s the same as with fruit and vegetables.
Where does the sugar come from?
The main ingredient in Wonig is raw cane sugar from Brazil. We found a fair cooperative. The people there receive fair pay and social support. Farmers often burn sugarcane fields to make the harvest easier. That generates huge amounts of particulate matter and isn't exactly environmentally friendly. The cooperative refrains from doing that and grows the plants sustainably and in a certified organic manner. Our tapioca syrup also comes from a fair and sustainable cooperative in Pakistan.
We source our cane sugar from a fair cooperative.
Why did you move to the Sauerland region recently?
We previously had a small restaurant in Hagen. Office, warehouse, production, and living space were all in one 250 m² building. At the very beginning, we were still filling and labeling the jars by hand. Then we bought machines for processing the Wonig and for labeling. Production grew larger and larger. At some point, the pallets were standing in the living room. It was clear we needed more space. It is important to us to live and work in the same building. This way, we have no unnecessary travel times and are always on-site. We found the ideal location in Plettenberg. That was a real stroke of luck for us.
There are two of you at Vegablum. Who takes care of what, and what did you do before?
Before Vegablum, I worked in an office and in the advertising industry. I lived in Ireland for five years and worked in customer support. The rest just happened. We decided to start a company for vegan mead and honey alternatives. As I mentioned, I had a lot of experience in marketing from my previous jobs. Stephan still works part-time at a hospital for financial reasons. For Vegablum, he spends most of his time in the kitchen. He takes care of production, bottling, packaging, the warehouse, and online orders. I do everything on the computer: processing orders, customer acquisition, social media, etc.
Being vegan is definitely a way of life for us.
You both live vegan. Do you associate more than just a diet with that?
Being vegan is definitely a way of life for us. We not only eat vegan, but we also forgo animal products in all areas. For example, we don't wear leather. Nowadays, there are many alternatives to animal products. We actually became vegan overnight. At the beginning, we had a vegan association. We educated people at information booths. Today, we like to do that at trade fairs if someone is interested. There are already many cheese and sausage alternatives on the market. With Wonig, we show that bees are also animals that shouldn't be exploited.
In which other areas do you pay attention to sustainability?
We source electricity and gas from eco-friendly providers. Our labels are made of grass paper, and we use solvent-free glue. The lids are free of PVC and plasticizers. For packaging, we collect waste paper from friends and acquaintances. We try to consider sustainable aspects everywhere possible.
Wonig will soon be available in Poland and Sweden, too.
What are your plans for the future?
In any case, we are expanding our Tapi Dream line in the future. We would like to expand our range with further organic vegan products. Currently, we produce 1,000 jars of Wonig a day and could increase that by 500. We definitely want to increase production so that we reach about 6,000 jars a day. Of course, we don't know exactly how it will turn out. We now supply Switzerland, Austria, France, and other countries. Soon we will also be selling Wonig in Poland and Sweden. We want to extend our market to even more countries. There are sometimes manufacturers there that make a honey alternative, but we offer a great variety of types and are specialized. We are even in contact with Dubai.
How can one use Wonig in the kitchen?
Basically, you can use Wonig exactly like honey. It refines muesli, tea, or honey-mustard dressings and is suitable for baking and cooking. Of course, its use also depends on the flavor. Its sweetness varies depending on the variety, just like honey. Fundamentally, however, its sweetening power is comparable.
What is your favorite Wonig?
Actually, I like Wonig in all variants. But in muesli and for baking, I love Apple Pie Wonig. I'm also a fan of Dandelion Wonig. It tastes relatively neutral, and I use it in many ways in the kitchen. Stephan loves the Apple Chili variety more than anything. He likes to cook with it, refine sauces, and caramelize various things with it.
