Mead produced at PCT Guamá wins silver medal in Latin American competition

The Uruçun Mead from the Amazon, produced at the Center for the Valorization of Bioactive Compounds of the Amazon (CVACBA) at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), located in the Guamá Science and Technology Park (PCT), won a silver medal in the demi-sec mead category, equivalent to semi-dry, at the Brazil Mead Cup 2025. The award was announced last Saturday (9), during the Brazil Beer Cup in Florianópolis (SC), which gathered more than two thousand samples of beverages from all over Latin America evaluated blindly.

Founded in Belém in 2019 and led by researcher and production engineer Ana Lídia Ribeiro, Uruçun operates throughout the entire production chain of meliponiculture, which is the breeding of native stingless bees, contributing to pollination and forest preservation. Associated with PCT Guamá, the company has stood out for its sustainable innovation and female entrepreneurship in the sector.

This recognition adds to recent achievements, such as awards from Apex Brasil and Professor Samuel Benchimol in 2024, participation in NRF, the world's largest retail and technology fair, and highlights in the program Small Businesses & Big Business on TV Globo.

“Since we joined PCT Guamá, our trajectory has completely changed. Having our production line within the Park allowed us to scale and benefit from all the technical support offered, including sponsorship to participate in the contest in person. This achievement proves that with hard work, discipline, and good partnerships, anything is possible,” says Ribeiro.

Excellence in production - It is at CVACBA that Uruçun Mead is produced, a 100% Amazonian beverage created to enhance the honey from stingless bees, which is more watery and acidic than honey from stinging bees, making it difficult to market. Made with honey, water, and yeast, the product began official production in 2020 and today is part of a production chain involving about 300 family farming communities in Pará municipalities, benefiting nearly 3,000 people, many of whom are female heads of households.

In addition to generating income, the activity contributes to the preservation and multiplication of bees, which are responsible for up to a 40% increase in the production of açaí and other plants. Currently, 5,000 liters of mead are produced annually, with a goal of reaching 25,000 liters.

The product has already been taken to international events in Germany, Panama, and South Africa, establishing itself as an example of a sustainable, socially just business that values Amazonian bioeconomy.

Association and benefits - Technology-based companies or those with socio-environmental impact, at different stages of maturity, can join PCT Guamá and access benefits such as a fiscal address, infrastructure, discounts in laboratories, mentoring, consulting, training, events, and networking opportunities through the Impulso Amazônia program.

Reference in innovation in the Amazon - The Guamá Science and Technology Park (PCT) is an initiative of the Government of Pará, through the State Secretariat for Science, Technology, and Higher, Professional, and Technological Education (Sectet), in partnership with UFPA and the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (Ufra), managed by the Guamá Foundation.

It is the first technological park in the Northern region of Brazil and aims to stimulate applied research and innovative and sustainable entrepreneurship to improve the quality of life of the population.

Located on the banks of the Guamá River, which gives its name to the complex, PCT is situated between the campuses of the two universities and has a rich biodiversity ecosystem, extending over 72 hectares, designated for buildings and the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of the Metropolitan Region of Belém.

The complex has more than 30 resident companies (physically installed in the Park), over 40 associates (linked to the Park but not physically installed), 12 research and development laboratories for processes and products, and a technical school.

PCT Guamá is part of the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (Anprotec) and the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (Iasp), and is part of the largest innovation ecosystem in the world.