Včelco

Pavol Kudláč, Edo Štibraný and Rado Opálek - these are the three main names behind the company Včelco , which has gained many admirers. At first, they made mead only for themselves and their acquaintances at home in the pub, and gradually, as their mead gained more and more admirers, they began to think about creating a company. For them, beekeeping was at first just such a hobby in addition to employment. They acquired their first beehive 37 years ago, but currently they manage more than 100 beehives. First, they started experimenting with honeys, set up a large apiary and tried to make mead from different types of honey. But they still lacked something there and it was not right for them, until they finally mixed three types of honey, which fermented at low temperatures, ten degrees lower than European standards and produced what they had been striving for for so many years. This mead also got its name - Včelovina and became a port of their company Včelco.

In 2007, Pavol Kudláč and his friends from primary school, Ed Štibraný and Rad Opalk, founded a company for the production of the highest quality mead.
What they enjoy most at work is that they are in nature, breathe fresh air and are in first contact with bees. But the truth is, it's a hill of sacrificial work . Beekeeping has become more than just a job for them, it is their philosophy of life. The mead they produce is not produced overnight, it takes many months to years for this result to reach our cups.

The company Včelco produces about 100,000 bottles of mead per year. They could make more, but it is important for them to do things with their heart and their own hands and to feel the soul of them , if they produced even more mead, personal contact would be lost. They produce mead in 6 basic types plus they have special limited editions. In addition to mead, they also began to produce beer, cakes and spirits . In 2019, they also launched the Beekeeping Garden . It is used for excursions of schoolchildren, where they can look into the world of bees in an experiential-educational way. For fans of mead and beekeeping, this is a space where they can taste mead where it all begins.

The company of beekeepers Včelco ze Smoleníce makes its products with a heart, but it is sad that their business for bee decline in recent years has an uncertain future. Until a few years ago, they had more than 250 hives. Today, they have to work very hard to keep the current 100 hives.