Cultivating Change #10 Hasan Al Habshi from Pangaea Naturals

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In this episode of Cultivating Change, we speak with Hasan Al Habshi, founder of Pangaea Naturals, about beekeeping, producing stingless bee honey, growing tropical superfoods, and designing a small-scale syntropic farm in urbanised Penang island. 

EP#10: How Stingless Bees Can Thrive in Urban Spaces

What does syntropic farming look like in a compact backyard urban plot?

Hasan shares his journey from the fragrance business to farming and apiculture, driven by a desire for healthier food and lifestyle. He explains why stingless bees (from the Trigona genus) are the perfect pollinators for city farms, how their hive structures inspire him, and the surprising relationships between healthy soil, abundant fruiting, and bee nutrition.

This episode explores how regenerative systems can thrive even in small urban spaces and why soil, biodiversity, and balance are key to producing high-quality honey and crops.

Show notes

[00:00:00] Who’s your beekeeper? Why traceability is key to genuine honey

[00:01:00] From fragrance business to farming: Hasan’s personal health journey

[00:03:00] Founding Pangaea Naturals and exploring urban syntropic farming

[00:05:00] The three branches of Hasan’s business: farm, superfood products, and consulting

[00:08:00] Why integrating stingless bees improves pollination and harvest

[00:10:00] Urban-friendly pollinators: the gentle (neighbour-friendly) nature of stingless bees

[00:13:00] Bee biology 101: roles in the hive, lifespan, and community

[00:18:00] What we can learn from bees about structure, organisation, and purpose

[00:21:00] Scaling with balance: how many hives can an urban plot support?

[00:23:00] Food for the bees: what to plant for nectar and pollen

[00:26:00] Hive security and flood risk: urban challenges

[00:28:00] Ideal environments for stingless bees and the dangers of chemicals

[00:30:00] Role of healthy soil in supporting both plants and pollinators

[00:33:00] Bee bread, nutritional value and differences in honey texture

[00:37:00] Stingless bee honey: watery, citrusy, medicinal and why it is misunderstood

[00:39:00] Overcoming perceptions and marketing challenges around ‘real’ honey

[00:42:00] Understanding fake honey and the need for lab testing

[00:44:00] Indigenous honey gatherers and forest stewardship

[00:45:00] Why Hasan began with coffee and where he’s scaling next

[00:50:00] Balancing the ecosystem: lessons from caterpillars, butterflies and limes

[00:54:00] Final thoughts: start small, trust nature, let the system care for itself

[00:57:00] Where to find Hasan and Pangaea Naturals honey online

Additional Resources

1. Learn more about the plight of bees in Asia and those who are focusing on apiculture through PANAP’s publication “Buzzing Bees: The Ecological Lifelines.”
2. Follow Hasan Al Habshi on his Instagram accountto learn more about his work and buy Pangaea Naturals honey.

Special thanks to Hasan Al Habshi for sharing his insights on stingless bees, honey and syntropic farming in an urban setting.

Creator and host: Nova Nelson.
Executive Producer, and researcher:  Tamanna Patel.
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Visit us at Cultivate Central

About Cultivating Change

Cultivating Change is a podcast where we unearth Southeast Asia's regenerative food stories. From smallholder farmers to urban growers, researchers to environmentalists and food entrepreneurs to community organisers. We speak to those making an impact. Whether they are re-imagining local food systems, re-connecting us to healthier sustainable food or re-generating landscapes through agriculture. This is not just a podcast. It's a recipe for change.