You are standing in the kitchen on a Saturday morning, waiting for your coffee to brew while a pile of pancakes warms on the stove. Breakfast is one of those simple pleasures that you seldom overthink. You reach for the honey or the sugar, add a bit of sweetness, and carry on. Have you ever thought about whether the sweetener you’re using might do something more than just add flavor?

As you become more conscious about what you’re putting in your food, even the most mundane of choices start to count. You may pay closer attention to the ingredients in your breakfast cereal, or opt for less processed foods, yet overlook one familiar pantry staple: your sweetener. Molasses is rich in flavor and naturally contains a number of minerals, and offers an interesting alternative to conventional sweeteners. For Better Than Honey, it is the starting point for rethinking what everyday sweetness can look like.

Rediscovering the Nutritional Value of Molasses

Molasses has been around for generations, but it hasn’t always received the recognition it deserves. It is the thick, dark syrup that’s left over when the cane juice is boiled down, and the sugar has crystallized during the processing of sugarcane. Unlike refined sugar, which contains very little nutritional value beyond carbohydrates, molasses retains naturally occurring minerals.

Among these are iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, all of which are important in the body. Iron contributes to hemoglobin production and oxygen transport, potassium supports normal muscle and nerve function, calcium helps maintain healthy bones and teeth, while magnesium is involved in energy metabolism and muscle function.
This mineral content makes it an interesting addition to a varied and balanced diet. Of course, it’s still a sugar-containing sweetener,  but its nutritional profile offers another reason to look beyond the usual choices.

Better Than Honey is bringing this traditional ingredient back into the modern kitchen, showcasing its versatility and the nutritional properties that have seen it used as a food in various cultures.

Regular Molasses or Blackstrap? What’s the Difference?

Not all molasses is the same. Knowing the difference between regular sugarcane molasses and blackstrap molasses will go a long way to helping you understand what each of them can offer in the kitchen.

Regular molasses is produced in the early stages of sugarcane processing and has a rich, sweet flavor which is ideal for cooking and baking. The Sugar Cane Molasses offers a versatile way to introduce this traditional syrup into familiar recipes. It can be drizzled over pancakes, stirred into oatmeal, blended into smoothies, or used as a base for marinades and sauces.

Blackstrap molasses is produced by further boiling and sugar crystallization. The result is a much more concentrated syrup with a higher mineral content and a very distinct, strong bittersweet flavor.

The Organic Blackstrap Molasses is particularly interesting if you want to explore the nutritional side of molasses. It’s rich in naturally occurring iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as vitamin B6. Its concentrated mineral profile makes it stand out among traditional syrups.

The company goes to great lengths to illustrate just how mineral-rich their 32oz bottle is by comparison with a banana, a ribeye steak, and a glass of milk. That’s the way they illustrate the concentration of the various minerals. The actual nutritional contribution, of course, will be dependent on the amount you’re drinking.

Whether you’re after the milder flavor of regular molasses or the more intense, deep and rather bitter blackstrap, both can be used in a completely different way to sweeten your food.

Taking Natural Sweetness Beyond the Kitchen

Better Than Honey’s ambitions go beyond bottles of syrup. Realizing that modern life demands convenience, the company is looking at ways of bringing molasses into products that people can use on the move.

One example is its range of molasses-based energy gel packs. These are designed for the active consumer and provide a convenient format for the incorporation of carbohydrates and naturally occurring minerals during exercise or other physically demanding activities.

Traditional sports gels rely on formulated carbohydrate blends, whereas Better Than Honey is looking at molasses as a more familiar food-derived ingredient. The potassium and other minerals naturally present in molasses add another point of interest.

For runners, cyclists, and anyone who enjoys staying active, the appeal lies in having a portable source of energy that’s based on a traditional food ingredient. Individual tolerance and individual nutritional needs still apply, but the concept reflects the company’s willingness to challenge conventional approaches to sports nutrition.

A Personal Story Behind a Different Kind of Sweetener

The inspiration behind the brand is just as fascinating as the products themselves. It was founded by Michael Shoukry in January 2025 and is based in San Diego. The company started with a very simple observation during a shopping trip.

While looking for molasses at Sprouts, Michael was struck by the sheer number of honey options available as opposed to the rather limited range of molasses. The contrast surprised him because molasses had been a familiar household sweetener throughout his childhood.

Growing up with an Egyptian mother, he knew it as black honey, a traditional ingredient used in Egypt. In his experience, molasses was often preferred to honey, not only for its distinctive taste but also for its place in everyday food culture.

That childhood familiarity became the basis for a business built around giving an overlooked ingredient a new purpose. Instead of accepting that honey and maple syrup were the natural sweeteners of choice, Michael saw an opportunity to introduce more people to molasses.

With more than 15,000 customers reached in its relatively short existence, Better Than Honey is already building momentum around that idea.

Rethinking What Everyday Wellness Looks Like

Wellness can often start with being more mindful of the products you use daily and the food you eat.

Better Than Honey is built on this philosophy, bringing traditional ingredients into modern kitchens through products that combine familiar flavors with new possibilities. Its molasses, particularly the mineral-rich blackstrap variety, offers an opportunity to look at sweetness from a different perspective.

So, the next time you’re in the kitchen making your morning coffee or reaching for something to drizzle over your pancakes, why not try something different? That familiar breakfast ritual could be the perfect place to rediscover the richness of molasses and experience sweetness with a little more substance.