Our Production Process and Quality Control
We go to extreme measures to ensure our Manuka honey exceeds the highest standards in existence. Every jar of carefully crafted Helena Health Manuka honey has been lovingly cared for in every stage of its lifecycle.
It all starts in our biodiverse backyard...
From early August every year, our beekeepers hit action mode.
They study weather patterns meticulously to work out where in New Zealand our bees will prosper, then they see to it our hives make it there. On foot, in cars or even by helicopter; whatever it takes to transport our bees, our beekeepers make sure it’s done.
Once our bees reach a lavish location, they’re free to buzz extracting nectar and pollinating Manuka plants in unison. While the Manuka flowers are in bloom, the bees spend their days buzzing back and forth from their hives and storing up Manuka honey in their hexagonal honeycombs in the same way they’ve done for millions of years.
We only take what we’re given
When the bees have had their fill and the Manuka flowers no longer offer nectar. Our beekeepers begin their journeys back to home base, taking care of the bees every step of the way.
Each beehive produces a remarkable 30 kilograms of surplus honey each year, and we take great care to only take the excess Manuka honey – leaving the bees to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
By this point the bees have capped off their hexagonal honeycombs with beeswax, so we pop open the caps then place the honeycombs into extractors. Our extractors gently heat and spin the honeycomb, which releases the honey from its capsules and gives our honey its thick, velvety texture.
We test every batch
Every. Single. Batch.
We want our Manuka honey to do everything our customers expect and more, so we test every batch in partnership with the independent testing facilities. This reveals the MGO concentration of each batch, which we report on each of our honey jars’ labels.
Each jar of our honey also receives a batch number. The number means we can trace your honey back to its birthplace, on request!
Distributing our Manuka honey worldwide
Finally, it’s time to get our Manuka honey to you.
We work with carefully selected distribution partners, both domestically and internationally, who have all been chosen on the strength of their reputation. This ensures our honey is as cared for during distribution as it is in production. The end result?
Superior Manuka honey, quality assured every time.
