The antioxidant properties of South Island honey are helping a Dunedin company create a buzz in the UK.
Consumers there are willing to pay $35 a jar for the health benefits of the premium honey.
The New Zealand Honey Co has managed to get its products into 1000 high-end supermarkets and health food stores across the UK.
Retailers have been sold on new research which reveals that South Island honeys contain very high levels of antioxidants.
"That same benefit from eating fruit and vegetables can be taken from eating honey," says the company's technical manager David McMillan, "and when you start to replace perhaps some of the refined sugars in your diet with honey, you're getting a double benefit from that."
A jar of Beech Forest Honeydew contains the same amount of antioxidants as 100 cups of green tea and sells for around $35 a jar.
Marketing an age-old product like honey as a premium health food makes for a far richer return for local beekeepers. Manuka honey, which has antibacterial properties, is already sold as a premium product. Now the company is aiming to carve out a similar niche for South Island varieties.
"When you've got a market where people are prepared to pay £10 for a jar of Manuka honey, obviously there's some great opportunity there to add value to what these guys do," says New Zealand Honey Co CEO Chris McElroy.
A range of honey-based cordials are also being marketed on their health benefits, while demand is growing for the unique taste of South Island honeys like thyme, kamahi, and rata.
"It is something that cannot be copied," says Mr McElroy. "You know, these honeys are indigenous to New Zealand and really what we're doing is we're trying to market them on behalf of the honey industry."
Some products are packed by hand at the Dunedin factory, but the issue of 'food miles' is a growing obstacle for Kiwi exporters. Here it has been overcome by shipping the honey to Belgium in 1000-litre bulk drums, where it is packaged up for the European market.
The young company is planning a big push into Asia next year, but for now is enjoying the sweet taste of success.
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