“I am delighted. Children had a great experience at this event. You do not normally encounter a live honey harvest. Earlier, one pupil whose grandfather was a beekeeper told us about beekeeping. Now we see it in practice and have a kind of nature-sciences instruction directly in nature. We are happy for the opportunity to show the children how honey is harvested and what beekeepers need to follow. I believe that everyone has gained a lot of new knowledge,” says Jana Reisingerová, a teacher at Tereza Stolzová Primary School in Kostelec nad Labem.

This year’s success is proof of a healthy ecosystem of the beehives and favourable conditions for their life and reproduction at the Spolana Neratovice production site. The beekeepers adhere to an eco-friendly approach and traditional beekeeping processes which is reflected in the honey’s excellent flavour and health effects. This area’s honey has an exceptional taste and aroma, thanks to the richly blooming meadows and gardens in the vicinity. In recent years, Spolana has received awards for its honey which further attests to its excellent quality. The beekeepers that collaborate with Spolana can pride themselves on a fantastic result and look forward to the next season with enthusiasm.

“We are pleased about this year’s honey harvest at an unused part of the Spolana site. For the beekeepers, it is a huge reward for their work, and it also proves that our efforts to support beehives and sustainable beekeeping bring excellent results,” says Piotr Kearney, executive at Spolana.

Spolana continues its commitment to protecting the environment and, together with beekeeping, supports other projects in the unused parts of the production site. With the help of children from local primary schools, it releases fish into the River Elbe twice a year. It also supports the nesting of critically endangered peregrine falcons that regularly nest at one of the chimneys at the site.

Spolana is very active in its support of the neighbouring environment. In collaboration with the Neratovice branch of the Czech Anglers Union, it regularly releases different fish species into the River Elbe (for instance, carp, pike and zander). At the same time, it takes care of the peregrine falcons that regularly nest at the Spolana site in collaboration with the non-profit organisation ALKA Wildlife. The vicinity of the production site, especially the biological pond, has become a popular haven for a host of protected and threatened animal species. The site’s cleanliness is confirmed by the presence of river otters, common teals, common kingfishers and trout, i.e., animals highly sensitive to the quality of the environment.

SPOLANA s.r.o. is one of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The only manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam also produces ammonium sulphate and sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 700 people. Spolana has been owned by the ORLEN Unipetrol Group since 2016. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and production, distributing and selling fuels and petrochemical products – mainly plastics and fertilisers. It is one of the major players in the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN Benzina network in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs almost 6,000 people. In addition to its business development, ORLEN Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays equal attention to initiatives focusing on cultivating and supporting sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe.

Contact details: Pavel Kaidl, spokesperson, telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520, email: pavel.kaidl@orlenunipetrol.cz