A global apitherapy pioneer, Medex has evolved from a honey exporter to become a leading manufacturer of food supplements based on bee products, taking its inspiration from bees.

"Bees have been our teachers for seven decades and have inspired us to grow and develop," Aleša Mižigoj, owner and CEO of Medex said at event in Brdo pri Kranju on 23 September marking the company's 70th anniversary.

The company has come a long way, experiencing both good and bad harvests, as well as changes of currencies, countries and regimes.

Founded in 1954 by the Association of Beekeeping Societies of Slovenia, the company initially specialised in honey exports. A turning point in its development was in the early 1960s when it opened a modern laboratory, one of the first of its kind in Europe.

"We became innovators and ambassadors of apitherapy, taking the tradition of using bee products to a scientific level. The research we did on royal jelly, propolis and other bee products, while linking with academia and the medical profession, allowed us even then to prove the incredible efficacy of bee products and their importance for human health," said Mižigoj.

Medex has made a major contribution to the development of beekeeping in the former Yugoslavia. When the country fell apart, Medex lost 80% of its market, but managed to overcome the difficult period by introducing new lines of biscuits and wafers.

At the beginning of the new millennium, Medex shifted its focus to the production of food supplements where it has been able to rely on Slovenia's beekeeping tradition and pioneering use of bee products.

The benefits and properties of propolis are only now being discovered in the US, while this natural antibacterial resin-like material made by bees from the buds of certain trees has been present in every home medicine cabinet in Slovenia for decades, according to Mižigoj.

"At Medex, we feel it is our responsibility to preserve our rich heritage and use science to support the ancestral tradition of the uniqueness of bee products," the company owner said about the plans for the future.

In collaboration with the University of Primorska, the company's research and development team conducted a clinical study to prove for the first time how remarkably royal jelly acts in reducing inflammatory processes in humans.

The Medex anniversary celebration brought together the company's staff and business partners, as well as some of the top state officials, including President Nataša Pirc Musar, who described Medex as one of the best-known Slovenian companies and an ambassador of the Slovenian economy in many countries.

The company has been continuously investing in research, development and innovation, recognising that without it, there can be no successful businesses and no social prosperity. At the same time, it promotes the development of beekeeping around the world, thereby achieving a number of sustainability goals, the president said.

Both Pirc Musar and Mižigoj pointed out the importance of bees for food security and biodiversity. "We need to work for cleaner air, healthy soil and a safe environment so that future generations can enjoy the prosperity that these wonderful pollinators bring," Mižigoj said.