History

The early days of the cooperative movement and the establishment of our Cooperative

 

historia-imgOur Cooperative was formed during the time when Polish national economy was at its worst since it had regained independence in 1918.

 

The difficult socio-economic situation, which also affected apiculture, was strongly linked to the idea and practice of cooperative activity. Its origins date back to 1842, and are associated with poor British weavers from Rochdale, England, who founded the first consumer cooperative. Indeed, it was poverty which brought people together in a joint effort to make their way in the world by operating a type of business which came to be known as “a cooperative”.

 

The idea spread like wildfire and left its mark on many economies across Europe.

 

After 1920, beekeepers established various associations, building on those 19th-Century organisational role models, and launched business initiatives to facilitate honey sales. It is estimated that the first efforts to establish the Cooperative were made by local beekeepers in 1925, but these were initially limited to soliciting support among the members of the Province Farmers’ Union Association and the Chamber of Agriculture in Lublin. The mobilisation of beekeepers brought satisfactory results and on 18 May 1932 the fifteen founding members of the Cooperative attended its first organisation meeting and decided it would operate as “The Beekeepers’ Association”. The meeting adopted its Articles of Association, whose Article 3 defined the following orientation. “The purpose of the Cooperative is to improve the well-being and condition of the apiaries of its members, and to work together for their cultural development”. From the very beginning, cultural and educational aspects played an important role in the cooperative movement. “The Cooperative has morally and financially contributed to cultural and educational efforts”.

  • In 1942, the Management Board of the Cooperative changed its name from The Beekeepers’ Association to “Apis – Spółdzielnia Handlowo-Przetwórcza z o. u. (The Apis Commercial and Manufacturing Cooperative)”. This was a time of intensive growth, with a focus on manufacturing mead on an international scale, which won the Cooperative its first major awards on global exhibitions and congresses. Its success story was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and the associated vacancies in management positions......

  • As a result of investments, following the initial plight caused by the outbreak of the War, the manufacturing plant, at the time located at ul. Staszica 5, Lublin, became the largest such facility in Central and Eastern Europe....

  • Despite the losses suffered as a result of the Front’s crossing the Lublin Region during World War II in 1944, the Cooperative managed to regain its strong position. In 1946, it returned to its former name (The Beekeepers’ Association), and four years later, it merged with regional fruit and vegetable cooperatives. In 1950-1957, as a result of nationalisation, cooperative operations were suspended, i.a. in horticulture and apiculture, which was tantamount to discontinuing the activities of “The Beekeepers’ Association....

  • In May 1957, the Cooperative resumed its operations as the District Apiculture Cooperative in Lublin and, as one of three organisations in the country, managed three provinces, namely Białostockie, Lubelskie, Olsztyńskie, and Warszawskie. However, it was not fully independent – it was supervised by the Horticultural Cooperative Head Office. In 1963, it commenced the construction of its manufacturing plant at ul. Diamentowa. At the time, honey was its key export product....

  • In 1967, the new facility, with an area of approx. 1400 square metres, was launched and made available for use. In 1973, Pszczela Wola, a nearby town, for the first time hosted a honey-harvest event, co-organised by The District Apiculture Cooperative from Lublin. 1974 marked the time the Cooperative started to produce honey with fruit juice (miodovit). The export of mead continues to be on a winning streak....

  • In 1975, as a result of administrative changes, our area of operations increased from 4 to 14 provinces (the boundaries were now different). Top sales were recorded for honey sold in jars. In late 1980s/early 1990s, the production of mead was expanded, increasing the annual output from 400,000 to 700,000 litres. In 1978, the Cooperative introduced Kurpiowski, a new type of honey, and Kordiał, an alcoholic beverage with honey, into its portfolio. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Cooperative owned 10 facilities in Lublin, Warsaw, Białystok, and Krasnystaw......

  • As a result of the winding-up of The Horticultural and Apicultural Cooperative Head Office and changes in the Government system, the Apicultural Cooperative in Lublin had to reorganise its structure. In 1991, the Cooperative returned to its former name – the “APIS” Beekeepers’ Cooperative. In addition, the Cooperative allowed membership for natural persons, and added a provision to its Articles of Association which permitted the purchase of honey from all over the country (instead of in its northern and eastern parts only, as before). In 1990, we started producing small servings of honey, known as śniadaniówki (breakfast servings). The production and export of mead was gradually growing. A similar trend was recorded in quality, and was reflected in numerous national and global awards and distinctions....

  • At the turn of the century, The “APIS” Beekeepers’ Cooperative started an extensive modernisation of the plant and made a series of investments in advanced technologies. In 2001, the coal-fired boiler room was replaced by a gas-fired unit. And in 2004, we launched the most advanced mead bottling line in Poland, which increased our production capacity even more. During that year, we also completed a more than 2-year-long implementation of ISO and HACCP systems, and, following a certification audit, The “APIS” Beekeepers’ Cooperative became certified to design, produce, and sell mead, and to purchase, standardise, and sell honey in compliance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements....

  • Between 2005 and 2015, The APIS Beekeepers’ Cooperative underwent intensive development and strengthened its position as the leader on the mead market. During this period, the Cooperative introduced many new brands, including “Mead from European apiaries”, “Grzaniec Polski” Trójniak mead, “Staropolski” Dwójniak mead, “Klasztorny” Dwójniak mead, and “Kazimierski” Dwójniak mead....

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