Frequently Asked Questions

Manuka Honey is produced from a native tree in New Zealand called Manuka tree (Leptospermum Scoparium) or tea tree. In summer when the flowers are blooming (nectar flow), our bees visit Manuka's flowers and collect the precious nectar.

Manuka tree grows under specific environmental conditions and it only blooms for a limited period of time each year (between 2 to 6 weeks). It is challenging to make sure our bees don't visit any other source of nectar than Manuka's flower during the season. To be successful, we shift our hives by helicopter to the most isolate sites with a high concentration of Manuka tree. Beside of finding the right site, we also have to compose with the weather conditions (rain, wind, frost...) can also affect our bees abilities to visit and collect nectar during the nectar flow.

There are a multiple type of honey around the world but Manuka Honey stands out from the lot. Honey is well known to have natural healthy properties but Manuka Honey offer a higher rate of benefit due to its high concentration of Methylglyoxal also known as MGO. The Leptospermum Scoparium is the only native New Zealand tree producing this natural compound and it only grows in New Zealand and Australia. Manuka Honey comes under different grade of MGO, higher is the grade then higher are the antibacterial properties.

Manuka Honey is sold with official logo or trademarks. The main trademark is the UMF logo, It stands for Unique Manuka Factor. Beside of the the official logo or trademark, you can ask for test result. The test results are attached to a specific batch number, check the batch number print on your jar and match it with the result provided. most honey company have updated their system to allow customer to track their honey product. It's a good way to build trust and to buy your Manuka Honey with the peace of mine.

They are both quality indicators that reflect the level of methylglyoxal in our jars. The MGO is an official logo recognized by the industry rating the MGO level while the UMF is a trademark delivered by the the UMFHA (Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association) based in New Zealand to protect the product but also certified the MGO level through a grading system.

"Raw honey" is a term in our industry that describe the honey as an unprocessed honey. The honey went through the extraction and filtration process then pot in a jar without being pasteurise. Skipping the heating process of the pasteurization allow the honey to keep its natural nutrients and amino acids essential for the immune system.

It's actually a simple concept of chemistry. Honey is a mix of water and sugar, honey contains two types of  sugar, glucose and fructose. while fructose tends to remain dissolved, glucose has a much lower solubility and therefore crystallizes easier. This natural process mainly occur to raw honey when temperatures drop.

Most New Zealand's honey are creamed because they trend to crystallize during the winter season when the temperatures drop. We want to give to our customers the best tasting experience when enjoying our honey. It has to be creamed to keep it nice and soft, easy to scoop and spread on a piece of bread. Then you simply let the creaminess seducing your senses.