Dr. Aslı Samancı, a pioneering woman entrepreneur recognized for her contributions to sustainability, achieved great success at the Sustainable Food Awards organized by the Sustainability Academy. She won the "Innovation in Food" award for her patented propolis extraction technology, which was also recognized by the Turkish Research Institution, and for producing the first patented pure Anatolian propolis in Turkey using this technique. Innovation Award for Anatolian Propolis Extract (A.P.E)® BEE&YOU CoFounder and CEO Dr. Aslı Samancı, who implemented the "Contracted Beekeeping" model, was awarded the innovation prize at the Sustainable Food Awards organized by the Sustainability Academy for her patented innovative extraction technology and BEE&YOU Water Soluble Propolis Drops.
Fourteen projects deemed worthy of awards in 6 categories! In the Sustainable Food Awards, 14 projects were considered worthy of recognition across six categories: "Food Waste Management," "Sustainable Food Supply Chain," "Collaboration for Sustainable Food," "Sustainable Food Communication," "Innovation in Food," and "Sustainable Food Packaging". Large companies, SMEs, start-ups, and municipalities vied fiercely in the competition across various categories. The projects were selected after long-term evaluations by an expert jury of academics and field leaders.
BEE&YOU CoFounder and CEO Food Engineer Dr. Aslı Samancı stated in her award ceremony speech that propolis is a natural bee product made from plant buds and tree bark but cannot be consumed raw by the human body. For this reason, she emphasized the importance of extracting propolis through proper methods by specialized food engineers. Dr. Samancı explained that with BEE&YOU Propolis, they produced propolis for the first time in her country through their patented, prize-winning extraction technique, and after extraction, obtained a patent for "Anatolian Propolis" standardized for phenolic and flavonoid content from Anatolia's geography. Drawing attention to how the patented pure Anatolian propolis extract containing at least 15 different phenolic and flavonoid components can benefit from its effects thanks to this diversity, Dr. Samancı expressed that Anatolia's unique geography allows obtaining propolis with the highest phenolic and flavonoid composition due to endemic plant variety and contributing to sustainability with the Contracted Beekeeping model! Dr. Aslı Samancı also stated they contributed to many clinical studies worldwide regarding Anatolian propolis' efficacy and are glad to have won over 70 awards for their work in this field. Explaining how BEE&YOU aims to contribute to sustainability through its "Contracted Beekeeping" model with 5,000 partner beekeepers and 550,000 beehives, the goals are preventing bee extinction and thus supporting pollination and sustainability in food, agriculture, and apiculture. She also outlined their social responsibility project, allocating 1% of each product's income to a fund equipping beekeepers and supporting partner beekeepers nationwide. Dr. Samancı expressed how this enabled beekeepers to boost hive numbers and contribute more to pollination. She emphasized, "Where there are bees, there is life!".
Contributing to Sustainable Marine Life with 100% Natural Sunscreens BEE&YOU Founder Dr. Aslı Samancı stated that their sun creams containing non-nano mineral zinc and patented pure Anatolian propolis providing 50+ SPF PA++++ protection are 100% natural, demonstrating their contribution to sustainable marine life. Dr. Samancı noted that scientific data show tons of chemicals mix with seas yearly from sun creams, damaging coral reefs. Expert recommendations for marine-friendly sun protection prefer non-nano mineral zinc. "We aimed to raise awareness with our 100% natural formulations developed using non-nano mineral zinc and Anatolian propolis," she said. Within the scope of the 'Zero Waste' Project, beeswax separated from raw propolis is being saved from becoming waste." Founder and CEO of BEE&YOU, Dr. Aslı Samancı, pointed out that they operate under the motto of "Zero Waste," mentioning that they utilize the beeswax separated as a result of propolis extraction in dermo-cosmetic product formulas. Thus, the beeswax separated during the extraction or distillation process, which aims to take advantage of the endless benefits of propolis's valuable phenolic and flavonoid composition, is saved from becoming waste. Beeswax, which can help attract and retain skin moisture and is commonly used for this purpose in the formulations of skin care products, is being evaluated in many BEE&YOU products such as intensive care creams, lip balms, and anti-aging and wrinkle-defying facial creams, among others.