UK shopper’s $62,000 honey buy
Somewhere in Northland, bees are busy making a honey so soughtafter that one shopper bought $62,000 worth in a single transaction at British department store Harrod’s.
While the exact location of the True Honey Company’s hives is a closely guarded secret, the popularity of its Rare Harvest ma¯nuka honey is spreading like wildfire.
The Harrod’s sale of 25 jars of Rare Harvest honey at more than $2500 each was noteworthy for an individual customer but overall business had boomed since the outbreak of coronavirus, chief executive Jim Mcmillan said.
‘‘We’ve experienced a significant uplift in demand for premium honey from around the globe,’’ he added.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to increased global demand for health foods and ma¯nuka honey – known for its antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antibacterial properties – is caught up in the surge.
While many other businesses struggled to stay afloat during lockdown, True Honey took on 18 employees at its Dannevirke facility. About 40 more were hired by two Auckland businesses providing packaging and other supplies to True Honey, Mcmillan said.
‘‘We’ve been working flat out, doing whatever we can to try to keep up with orders, but we still have a bit of a backlog.’’
Rare Harvest has the highest unique ma¯nuka factor (UMF) ever produced: 31+, more than six times the UMF of some ma¯nuka honeys sold in supermarkets. UMF measures the active properties of the honey.
Mcmillan said the increasing global awareness of New Zealand and its ma¯nuka honey presented a real opportunity for ‘‘NZ Inc’’.
‘‘We’ve put a lot of time and effort into crafting a business that can offer a premium, ‘best in class’ product with a real focus on the New Zealand brand,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s an opportunity now, while consumers are looking for those pure and healthy primary products, for New Zealand to really set itself
apart.’’