With over four decades of perfecting the beekeeping craft, New Zealand based Comvita was founded on the vision of sharing the power of nature with the world. Today, May 20, on World Bee Day, here’s their story. In 1974 Comvita founders Claude Stratford and Alan Bougen imagined people living healthy lives. Bees were their inspiration, and Manuka honey their medicine. Paengaroa became home to Comvita, a place for people working with and learning from nature.
Manuka honey: From New Zealand to the World
In the pristine forests of New Zealand, bees collect nectar from the wondrous Manuka flower, which only blooms a few weeks a year. From New Zealand’s rugged central North Island volcanic plateau, to the bush clad hills of Northland, there are many factors that can affect the quality of Manuka honey – it’s a natural product so the sun, wind and rain all play a part.
Since Manuka honey can only be produced in areas abundant with native Manuka blossoms, many of Comvita’s hives are located in some of the most remote parts of New Zealand, accessible only by helicopter and hike-in. Given its short flowering season – only 2-6 weeks out of the entire year – it takes immense skill, planning, and resources to harvest Manuka honey.
All Comvita UMF Manuka Honey is traceable to its source – from the hive to the shelf. The company has over 40,000 hives and works closely with its beekeepers to produce UMF Manuka Honey of the highest quality.
The company also gives back to the community through the Trees for Bees research program and many other sustainability initiatives.
UMF, the Gold Standard in Manuka, is independently tested and certified, measuring the three signature compounds and ensures you’re getting genuine, monofloral Manuka honey. UMF represents three unique signature compounds which ensure purity and quality:
- Methylglyoxal (MGO) is the compound chiefly responsible for the antibacterial property of Manuka honey and forms the basis of the UMF grading system.
- Leptosperin is found in the nectar of Manuka flowers and is the most discerning characteristic to distinguish Manuka honey from other honey types.
- Hydroxymethylfurfural is also found in the nectar of Manuka flowers and converts into MGO once the bees gather the nectar and turn it into honey.
Manuka honey is becoming increasingly revered by naturopaths, dietitians, elite athletes and natural health consumers around the world, following in the footsteps of the indigenous Māori people who have used Manuka for its therapeutic and medicinal abilities for centuries.
Manuka’s key natural compounds have shown to possess antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Nature’s most powerful honey’s is most used for:
- Daily immune support
- Aiding digestive and gut health
- Antioxidant protection
- Soothing coughs and sore throats
- Natural pre-workout energy boost
- DIY skincare to support glowing complexion
- Single-ingredient, antibacterial face mask for acne-prone skin
- As a beneficial sweetener alternative for teas & coffee
Manuka Honey, when sterilised, is also being used for wound healing in hospitals and clinics around the world.
Comvita & Saving The Wild: Kimana Bee Project
Bees are essential to our food system, ecosystem and our efforts to regenerate and rehabilitate Earth’s necessary biodiversity. In short, all living creatures depend on bees to survive.
That’s why Comvita has embarked on what might be its most ambitious bee project to date: using hives to help save one of our planet’s most elusive and endangered species, the Tusker Elephant.
Along the border between Kenya and Tanzania, in the Kilimanjaro ecosystem, lies the Kimana Wildlife Corridor, a traditional migratory path for endangered elephants. The area is surrounded by Maasai farmland, and limited resources have sometimes resulted in tensions between humans, animals and plantlife. To protect the elephants, we have to regenerate the land, and that’s where the bees come in.
Comvita will work with Saving The Wild to place 200 hives on lands throughout the corridor. Bees will pollinate the native trees and flowers, strengthening biodiversity. Elephants spread the seeds as they walk, helping regenerate new lands. The communities tending the hives are trained in a new craft that can help revitalise the land, and provide a new income stream that helps revitalise the local economy and creates opportunities for higher education. What’s more, elephants are afraid of bees, so managed hives can naturally guide elephants away from communities and other unsafe locations, and keep them on their migratory path.
Source: Comvita
Bee to Bottle: Conscious Food launches raw unprocessed Himalayan Multiflora Honey
