Ingredient Supplier · Brazil → California

The rarest propolis on Earth
doesn't come from honeybees.

Single-origin geopropolis extracts from Brazilian stingless bees — COA-verified, traceable to the colony.

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The Science

Not all propolis
is created equal.

Most people know propolis from the honeybee. But honeybee propolis and stingless bee geopropolis are fundamentally different substances — shaped by different insects, different biomes, and 60 million years of divergent evolution.

The industry standard

Apis mellifera

The Honeybee

1 domesticated species · 10,000 years of selective breeding
Optimized for honey yield

  • Resin + beeswax
  • Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE)
  • Pinocembrin, pinobanksin
  • Artepillin-C (Brazilian green)
  • Consistent across global production

"A well-understood ingredient — and precisely because of that, a commodity."

The frontier ingredient

Meliponinae

The Stingless Bee

500+ wild species · 60–80 million years of evolution
Uncrossed with commercial agriculture

  • Resin + clay + minerals + wax
  • Flavonoids shaped by species & biome
  • Hydroxycinnamic acids, terpenes
  • Benzophenones (nemorosone, xanthochymol) — absent in Apis propolis
  • Chemical profile unrepeatable outside its native forest

"A class of compounds your formulations have never encountered — and your story can own."

"Benzophenones are absent from conventional propolis. In stingless bee geopropolis, they can represent up to 40% of the total extract — with documented antimicrobial and antioxidant activity distinct from any propolis your supply chain currently carries." — Comparative phytochemistry literature, Meliponini research

The Producers

Every batch
begins with a name.

We work directly with a small network of Brazilian meliponiculturists — independent keepers of ancient colonies, cultivating native stingless bees the way their families have for generations. No industrial operations. No commodity intermediaries. Each producer is known to us by name, by location, and by the species they keep.

"Stingless bees can't be factory-farmed. A single colony produces just grams of geopropolis per year — not kilograms. That scarcity isn't a problem to solve. It's the story."

Atlantic Forest · Santa Catarina

Serra Gaúcha

Melipona quadrifasciata — Mandaçaia

Small-scale meliponiculturist working with native Mandaçaia colonies in the Atlantic Forest remnants of southern Brazil. Region-identified origin. Harvests conducted seasonally, by hand, in alignment with colony cycles.

Caatinga · Nordeste

Sertão do Norte

Melipona subnitida — Jandaíra

Northeastern producer working with Jandaíra colonies in the semi-arid Caatinga biome — a unique xerophytic ecosystem that shapes a geopropolis with the highest documented antioxidant capacity among native Brazilian species.

Amazon · Maranhão

Baixada Maranhense

Melipona fasciculata — Tiúba

Amazon basin producer with Tiúba colonies, the most culturally significant native bee of Maranhão. This species carries documented wound-healing research and a biome story that connects directly to Indigenous meliponiculture traditions.

All producers are region-identified and traceable through every Certificate of Analysis we issue.

The Extracts

Two species.
Two chemical universes.

Each geopropolis extract is produced by a single species, from a single biome, processed in isolated batches. The result is a chemically distinct ingredient — not an average, not a blend.

Mandaçaia M. quadrifasciata ~12 mm
vs
Jataí T. angustula ~4 mm

These two bees are shown at their true scale relative to each other. The Jataí is one of the smallest bees on Earth — its colonies produce only a handful of grams of geopropolis per year. Scarcity this extreme doesn't create volume. It creates a story.

No. 01

Mandaçaia

Melipona quadrifasciata

Atlantic Forest · BR

"The science-backed standard"

  • Most studied geopropolis species — 50+ peer-reviewed publications
  • Rich in flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids & phenolic compounds
  • Demonstrated antimicrobial & antioxidant activity (in vitro)
Concentration15% dry extract (w/v)
BaseEthanolic
COA IncludedPer batch · HPLC + Micro + Pesticide
MOQ1 liter

No. 02

Jataí

Tetragonisca angustula

Cerrado · Atlantic Forest · BR

"The world's rarest propolis"

  • Produced by one of the smallest bees on Earth — 4mm body length
  • Extremely limited annual yield per colony — scarcity by nature
  • Exceptional scarcity — limited quarterly batches only
Concentration15% dry extract (w/v)
BaseEthanolic
COA IncludedPer batch · HPLC profile
AvailabilityQuarterly — limited

Who It's For

Built for the
ingredient-obsessed.

"Add a story your customers will ask about."

Indie formulators compete on ingredient depth. Geopropolis gives you a chemically distinct, narrative-rich extract with zero market saturation in the US — and a COA that holds up under scrutiny.

  • Species-specific batches with individual HPLC profiles
  • MOQ 1L — sized for indie formulation, not industrial runs
  • 3–4 week lead time from order to delivery
  • Full supplier documentation package included
  • Samples available for qualified formulators

Use case

"A serum with Mandaçaia geopropolis is a serum with 50+ publications behind it and a Brazilian rainforest address. That's a 3-line INCI and a full brand chapter."

  • FormatEthanolic liquid extract
  • Concentration15% dry extract (w/v)
  • Typical use level1–5% in formulation
  • CompatibilityWater-phase soluble
  • MOQ1 liter

"Propolis, upgraded. The ingredient your line is missing."

The K-beauty market built propolis into a global skincare ritual. Geopropolis is the next chapter — biochemically differentiated, premium-positioned, with the South American provenance story that sets it apart from Asian-origin Apis extracts.

  • Documented antimicrobial & anti-inflammatory activity (in vitro)
  • Unique benzophenone profile absent from honeybee propolis
  • COA suitable for Korean and US regulatory filings
  • Origin story native to Brazil — not a variant, a category
  • Available in exclusive early-access batches

Use case

"Brazilian stingless bee geopropolis is to conventional propolis what matcha is to green tea — same family, entirely different category. The K-beauty audience already understands this narrative."

  • Species highlightMandaçaia or Jataí
  • Key bioactivesFlavonoids, benzophenones
  • COA standardHPLC + Micro + Pesticide
  • Origin claimBrazilian Atlantic Forest
  • Volume5–25L per order

"Botanical-grade. COA-verified. Ready for precision formulation."

Compounding pharmacies need ingredients they can document. Every batch ships with a complete Certificate of Analysis — HPLC phenolic profile, microbiology, pesticide screening. The documentation chain is built for your supplier file from day one.

  • Full COA per batch: HPLC, TPC, yeast/mold, pesticides
  • Standardized concentration: 15% dry extract (w/v), consistent batch-to-batch
  • Traceable lot numbers linked to producer & extraction date
  • Compatible with compounding base formulations
  • Custom concentration available for partner accounts

Use case

"Geopropolis extracts are increasingly referenced in dermatological compounding research for wound-healing and antimicrobial applications. A standardized, documented source changes what you can offer."

  • COA parameters8 tested, all documented
  • Batch consistency±5% phenolic variance
  • Lot traceabilityFull chain to producer
  • Shelf life24 months (sealed, 4°C)
  • Custom COAAvailable for partners

"From Brazil's forests, not a factory. That's the difference."

Wellness consumers are fluent in origin stories. Geopropolis gives your brand a provenance that's both scientifically substantiated and emotionally resonant — native bees, small producers, ancient biomes, and a supply chain transparent enough to print on a label.

  • Region-identified producer origin — nameable in your brand story
  • Biome-specific: Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Amazon
  • No industrial processing — small-batch extraction only
  • Research-backed positioning (50+ publications on Mandaçaia)
  • Co-development available for branded ingredient naming

Use case

"Erewhon shoppers don't buy ingredients. They buy stories — and they pay a significant premium for provenance. A geopropolis-forward product has one of the richest origin narratives in the botanicals market today."

  • PositioningUltra-premium, traceable
  • Story assetsProducer profiles, biome data
  • Scientific supportPeer-reviewed references
  • Label claimSingle-origin, species-named
  • ExclusivityLimited batch — differentiated

Every Batch, Documented

A COA isn't
optional. It's the product.

The ingredient business runs on trust. We document every batch end-to-end — from the colony and producer, through extraction, to an independent laboratory analysis — before anything ships.

01

Colony

Named producer. Region-identified origin. Species confirmed. Harvest logged by colony and date.

02

Harvest

Manual collection. No heat, no solvent at source. Raw geopropolis weighed and lot-numbered at point of harvest.

03

Extraction

70% food-grade ethanolic maceration, 30 days. Filtered, standardized to 15% dry extract (w/v). Bottled and sealed.

04

Analysis

ISO-accredited laboratory. HPLC phenolic profile, total flavonoids, microbiology, pesticide panel. COA issued per lot.

What's in every COA

Every batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis from an independent, accredited laboratory. Not a self-issued spec sheet — an external lab report.

  • HPLC phenolic compound identification
  • Total flavonoids (%)
  • Total phenols — Folin-Ciocalteu method
  • Total plate count (microbiology)
  • Yeast & mold count
  • Coliform screening
  • Pesticide residue panel
  • Heavy metals (partner accounts)
Stingless Bee Labs Batch MEX-MQ-2025-04
ProductMandaçaia Geopropolis Extract
SpeciesMelipona quadrifasciata
OriginSanta Catarina · BR
Concentration15% dry extract (w/v)
Total Phenols142.3 mg GAE/g
Total Flavonoids38.6 mg QE/g
Microbiology (TPC)Pass — <10 CFU/g
Pesticide ScreeningPass — not detected
LabLS Analyses · ISO 17025

Ask your current propolis supplier for their HPLC profile by species. Ask them which producer harvested that batch. Ask them for the region of origin. We'll wait.

Early Access · 2025

Let's develop
something together.

We're opening a small cohort of formulation partners — indie brands and formulators who want to be among the first to work with geopropolis extracts in the US market. This isn't a catalog order. It's a collaboration.

  • Custom batch sizing and concentration to your formulation needs
  • Co-formulation support and reference literature access
  • Exclusive species access before public availability
  • Named provenance in your brand story — producer, biome, batch
  • Priority on Jataí quarterly allocations

We work with a limited number of partners at a time. The goal is focused collaboration — not volume supply. If your project requires a minimum-order supplier, we're probably not the right fit yet.

Apply to Partner

Tell us about your project.