Northland, New Zealand is the fine food basket of the world. In Northland you can fish, hunt, gather, farm and garden to your heart’s content some of the freshest, healthiest and best quality food in the world. Amongst neighbours here, it is common to swap fresh produce with each other.
So it was a sweet tooth, and a DIY attitude typical of Northlanders, that led Zara and Sam to establish their first few hives in the home garden. Like most beekeepers, falling in love with the job was easy. Natural health is a Northland custom; and keen to reap the known benefits of honey and hive products, they set off on their journey to produce some of the sweet and healthy Manuka Honey, Propolis and Pollen for themselves and the communities they call home. WIth the help and expertise of an industry veteran, Zara and Sam have established production apiaries across Northland.
The history of beekeeping and honey is strongly connected to the birth of New Zealand as a nation, forging friendships out of its sweetness between the native people and the missionaries.
To mark the centenary of Methodism, John Waterhouse and John Bumby were sent from Birmingham to Australia and New Zealand as missionaries. Bumby was appointed to be leader, or Chairman, of the Wesleyan Mission, based in the Hokianga, Northland. He handled the Mission affairs with skill, made deep friendships, and worked at learning the Maori language.
The Treaty of Waitangi had had its second signing at Mangungu during Bumby’s absence in Australia, his sister Mary Bumby was an able hostess on the occasion. It is widely thought that the first bees suitable for honey production arrived in March 1839 with Mary from Sydney, Australia.She brought two hives ashore when she landed at the Mangungu Mission Station at Hokianga in March 1839. Reverend Richard Taylor, Lady Hobson, James Busby and William Cotton brought more bees in 1843. In 1848 Cotton wrote a manual for New Zealand beekeepers, describing the basics of bee husbandry and production of honey.
The untouched New Zealand bush proved a hospitable place for bees and wild colonies multiplied rapidly. Isaac Hopkins. Regarded as the father of beekeeping in New Zealand had observed that by the 1860’s bush colonies were plentiful, and considerable quantities of honey were being sold by Maori – the country’s first commercial beekeepers.
Our values are the same as most Northlanders blessed to live and work here; Respect, care and sustainability of our natural resources, our people and our land. We take care and pride in living and working as close as possible to nature and respecting all that she provides by putting the environment first; by taking care of the bees and their needs before we take anything from them; by keeping the waterways we use clean and clear and by planting flowers and vegetables that are beneficial to the land and the bees.
Mānuka Honey
Mānuka Honey is a monofloral honey produced by honeybees foraging on the nectar of the Mānuka, or tea tree species Leptospermum Scoparium. Prized for its benefits as a tea or oil also, the Mānuka tree grows wild and uncultivated throughout New Zealand.
Mānuka and its Activity
Mānuka is identifiable right away by its colour, texture and taste. Coloured rich, dark amber, thick and viscous, and the taste is a sweet and tart combination unique to its type.
Hydrogen peroxide is one component of honey. It give honey its antibiotic quality. Some types of honey, including mānuka honey, also have other components with antibacterial qualities.
Another antibacterial component in mānuka honey is methylglyoxal, (MG) which is a compound found in most types of honey, but usually only in small quantities. In mānuka honey, MG comes from the conversion of another compound, dihydroxyacetone which is found in high concentration in the nectar of mānuka flowers. The higher the concentration of MG, the stronger the antibiotic effect. This makes its topical use for cuts, burns and sore throats effective.
Medical Grade Manuka
To be labelled New Zealand mānuka honey, at least 70% of its pollen content should come from Leptospermum scoparium.
The presence of the unique non-peroxide activity is detected by lab testing relating to the phenol standard or methylglyoxal content. Currently there are many privately branded markings that indicate the ‘unique activity’ level e.g. UMF, MGO, AAH, AMHA, NPA. Generally a higher rating of activity indicates a more potent and concentrated level of the active component.
‘Active Manuka Honey’ is a term that originally was used to describe honey with this unique non-peroxide component. In recent years it has also been used to describe the standard activity which is present in most honey’s. Therefore it is important to choose a verified source of active mānuka honey carefully
All of our honey is tested by our external extraction facility and we choose to use the NPA rating for our Mānuka activity rating.
Our Approach
Our Honey Is Never Cooked, It Is Always Raw
TO PRESERVE FLAVOR AND HEALTH BENEFITS