Sweet dreams are made of manuka honey
New Zealand manuka honey commands high prices, but the $100 million industry is plagued with problems, from the weather to politics. Your Pure Honey wants to change all that
Monday, March 01 2010 || Starting out || BY Lesley Springall
Your Pure Honey launched its proposition last August with an online media campaign touting the medicinal benefits of manuka honey and New Zealand’s ‘pure’ image. Buyers not only get unblended honey from their own hives, they get to monitor their hive through individually tailored websites, a photo book and a DVD, charting their hive’s journey to different ‘feeding’ spots.
If you opt for a complete hive, you can even brand it with your name. But it’s the honey that’s unique, says Te Puke beekeeper Darcy Beehre who came up with the idea with business partner Luke Foster.
Shop honey is blended. Honey from just one beehive has a completely different taste, he says. “You simply can’t buy anything like it in a shop. It all comes from your own hive ... and you get the whole story with it.”
The US$2500 price tag for a hive of honey — or about $80 for a 500g jar — is a little pricey for your average New Zealander, says Foster, but not offshore. “It’s a luxury experience. In the past consumers just wanted a status symbol they could show off. Now people love a status symbol they can talk about.”
Manuka honey commands a high price because of its proven antibacterial and other health properties. According to the experts it helps combat everything from sunburn, sore throats and wrinkles to the notoriously hard to fight superbug infections. British company Tregothnan hit the headlines last year for selling tiny pots of ‘medicinal manuka honey’ from its own imported manuka plantation for £55 — roughly £5 a teaspoon — through exclusive London department store Harvey Nichols. That price makes 250g pots from New Zealand producer Watson and Son seem like a bargain at £28 each.
Beehre, a former glazier turned dairy farmer, became a beekeeper four years ago when he decided to work for himself. After gaining a bit of experience working for a friend, he bought 400 hives from the South Island and paid to distribute them among his former farming colleagues and across Maori land.
He loves the job, but it has been tough. Last summer, cold nights meant 400 of Beehre’s now 800 hives collectively yielded just one tonne of manuka honey when he expected 15 tonnes.
Given the returns, it’s not surprising Beehre plumped for manuka honey, but he refuses to join the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) so his honey can’t be officially rated and use the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) brand, certifying its medicinal properties. To use the UMF brand, producers have to pay $10,000 a year to be an association member and use one of only two AMHA-approved laboratories, he says. Beehre’s honey is regularly given more than a +12 active manuka honey rating from independent laboratory DHM — a rating over 10 is considered good — but that’s not officially recognised in New Zealand, he says.
However, the ranking is recognised overseas, which is why Beehre and Foster set up Your Pure Honey in an attempt to outflank the AMHA and directly tap overseas demand for manuka honey.
Beehre donated 100 of his hives and his beekeeping knowledge while Foster contributes his time and internet marketing know-how.
By the end of last year, Your Pure Honey had sold just 10 hives and Foster admits the business is taking longer than expected to establish. “There are not a lot of people out there searching online for their own beehives. We've got to create that market.”
This first honey season is a trial to sort out any teething challenges, says Beehre. It’s the idea of starting something different in a competitive industry that really appeals to him.
“It’s the uniqueness of it. It’s not easy producing small amounts. But we can keep the passion there for others to experience.”
