OUR STORY
About Us
FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS
Mānuka Health is a honey-loving collective of about 1.5 billion bees and 200 humans dedicated to inspiring a reconnection with nature so we can all be at our natural best.
We are driven by deep care for the wellbeing of people, bees and our shared environment.
Founded (and still based) in the small rural town of Te Awamutu in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2006, Mānuka Health is now a leading global Mānuka honey brand.
Founded (and still based) in the small rural town of Te Awamutu in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2006, Mānuka Health is now a leading global Mānuka honey brand.
We've spent many years discovering the extraordinary properties of Mānuka honey and propolis. The power of these amazing bee products and their pure New Zealand origin can be experienced in our range of natural health products - from premium honey and propolis to lozenges and skin care, we've got you covered.
Pioneers in Mānuka Honey Discovery
Mānuka Health pioneered MGO testing in 2008 after the ground-breaking discovery that MGO is the elusive ‘magic Mānuka ingredient’. MGO stands for methylglyoxal - the naturally occuring bioactive compound that is responsible for many of the benefits of Mānuka honey.
Over the past decade we’ve built MGO into an internationally recognised guide, helping people confidently purchase Mānuka honey based on the trusted science of natural MGO potency.
Gentle & expert handling - from hive to jar
The importance of managing the whole honey-making process from hive to jar cannot be underestimated. Unlike many Mānuka honey companies, Mānuka Health carefully extracts, processes and bottles our honey in our own specialised facilities. This means we can closely monitor quality and integrity at every stage – ensuring our honey is protected and you get the full benefit of its unique, natural properties in every jar.
Leaders in Propolis Science
Our BIO New Zealand Propolis sets a new standard in propolis quality. Working with leading scientists our research has identified the most powerful bioactives responsible for the impressive immune support and antioxidant properties of New Zealand Propolis .
AUTHENTICITY
WE GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO ENSURE YOU CAN TRUST IN OUR PRODUCTS
Mānuka Health’s governance and collective expertise from land to hive to shelf ensures utmost quality and product integrity.
Careful processing and storage with the least possible interference protects the honey, ensuring it retains its unique natural properties and has a beautiful smooth velvety texture.
Every jar of our Mānuka honey carries trusted independent certifications that utilise advanced technology to ensure proof of origin and authenticity.
OUR MĀNUKA HONEY QUALITY ENDORSEMENTS & ACCREDITATIONS:
UMF certification for quality, potency and authenticity
Oritain verification for scientific traceability and proof of origin
Kosher Check
certification
certification
BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Certification
ISO 9OO1 Quality Certification
Trust codes let you authenticate the quality and origin of every jar
Non-GMO Project Verified
Halal Certification
FernMark endorsement of New Zealand origin
Trust Codes & Oritain - The ultimate guarantee of authenticity
Each jar has a Trust Code - a unique QR code links to that exact jar of honey’s ‘birth certificate’. So no matter where you are in the world you can check right away that your jar of Mānuka honey is verified as authentic.
Every batch of our Mānuka honey is also ‘fingerprinted’ by scientific traceability company Oritain. This means that we can trace any jar of our Mānuka honey back to its true origin and confirm it's genuine.
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO
SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABILITY IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO
As beekeepers, sustainability and environmental responsibility are at the very heart of what we do. We are committed to making our premium New Zealand bee products sustainably. This means never compromising on the health of our bees and ensuring we maintain the pristine beauty of New Zealand nature for generations to come.
As beekeepers, sustainability and environmental responsibility are at the very heart of what we do. We are committed to making our premium New Zealand bee products sustainably. This means never compromising on the health of our bees and ensuring we maintain the pristine beauty of New Zealand nature for generations to come.
SUSTAINABILITY
CARING FOR OUR BEES
Our team leads the way in sustainable beekeeping, with our Apiculture Excellence Programme investing in research and innovation to ensure best practice in our beekeeping and to benefit the wider apiculture industry.
Year round bee health program & careful hive monitoring ensures healthy hives and top quality honey
Advanced mapping technology means we can measure Mānuka flowers in an area to ensure we're not over-stocking hives - this allows our bees to thrive while also leaving enough nectar for the native pollinators in the area
No antibiotics or hormones are ever used in our hives
Out of Mānuka season, our beehives are placed across New Zealand for easy access to flowering plants, keeping them healthy and providing natural pollination services
SUPPORTING REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
The Mānuka tree is a wonderful regenerator of land, helping protect against erosion and enhance biodiversity.
Fostering native Mānuka growth is an important part of what we do – with our long term land partners we help restore marginal farmland back to native forest while supporting sustainable Mānuka honey production .
We consider ourselves guardians of the land and are committed to planting 1 million Mānuka trees by 2025.
WE NEVER STOP ASKING 'HOW CAN WE DO BETTER'?
We aim to reduce, reuse or recycle wherever possible – with onsite recycling for cardboard, glass, metals, plastic, wood and organic waste.
Our jars are made here in New Zealand by Pharmapac (a Toitu Environmark Diamond accredited manufacturer) from BPA Free recyclable plastic.
Our vehicles have been upgraded for fuel efficiency and lower emissions – and we only use helicopters when absolutely necessary to access remote areas to place hives.
Rainwater is collected in underground tanks and used in our bathrooms.
Orders from our website are packed in recyclable cardboard and paper packing/wrap.
OUR PEOPLE & PARTNERS
SHARING A DEEP CARE FOR PEOPLE, BEES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT
Meet Dave - Our Master Beekeeper
We have some of the most experienced beekeepers in New Zealand, a passionate team of bee-lovers led by Master Beekeeper Dave Campbell.
Dave became a beekeeper at 15 after his Great Uncle Keith gave him a dozen hives on the family farm. The first time he opened a hive the sound and smells had him captured. Bees have been part of his life ever since. Working the hives is Dave's ‘happy place’ and he's passing on his passion to his daughter who has been learning the art of beekeeping under Dave’s expert guidance since she was 4 years old. Dave is also a qualified Veterinarian and an all-round good guy.
OUR LANDOWNER PARTNERS
Partnering with equally dedicated and passionate landowners to grow Mānuka means we can focus on what we do best – beekeeping and making the best quality Mānuka honey.
Planting Mānuka on marginal farmland helps our landowners get the most from their land in an environmentally friendly way. It also restores the land back to native forest, and ensures sustainable Mānuka honey production for the future. Working with local communities and Māori landowners to improve the productivity and revenue from their whenua (native land) means we can also help create jobs and support the local economy.
Rimunui Station
Mānuka Health has formed a 50 year partnership with the owners of Rimunui Station to help preserve its rugged beauty for future generations. Scott & Julayne Thompson farm this scenic hill country station with beautiful views of Mount Taranaki and Mount Ruapehu.
We commenced planting Mānuka in 2020 and have so far planted 330 hectares. Nearly all of Rimunui’s land area was farmed back in 1890 but now regenerated native bush covers over 2800 hectares.
Te Roroa
Mānuka Health is proud to work with Te Roroa in a long-term apiculture partnership in the Northland region of New Zealand, an area known for producing exceptionally high grade Mānuka honey.
In 2018 we planted a trial area within the Te Roroa rohe (an area of Iwi, or tribal land). Just over 50 hectares of native Mānuka seedlings were planted to restore the natural habitat. This initiative also helps create local jobs as well as creating a honey-generating resource for future generations.
Interested in becoming a Mānuka Health Landowner? CLICK HERE
OUR RESEARCH & COLLABORATION PARTNERS
We are proud pioneers in the science of Mānuka Honey and Propolis, uniting science and nature to better understand and unlock the potential of these remarkable and complex natural products.
For over 10 years we have worked with leaders in their field, incorporating their research and expertise into our product development to create products that make a real difference.
Professor Thomas Henle
Head of the Institute of Food and Chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, one of the most prestigious universities in Germany. Professor Henle and his team published a groundbreaking paper identifying methlyglyoxal (MGO) as a key compound directly related to the potency of Mānuka honey.
Dr Owen Catchpole
Dr Catchpole is an internationally renowned scientist and lead scientist at Callaghan Innovation. He has been seconded to Mānuka Health since 2012 working with our R&D team to further develop our Mānuka honey and Propolis products, and has published significant research findings on our BIO New Zealand Propolis.
Professor Peter Molan
(1943-2015) World renowned Mānuka honey expert and founder of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Professor Molan was known as the father of the Mānuka honey industry and his extensive work has had far reaching impact on the understanding and use of Mānuka honey particularly for wound care.