Pure, raw, untreated high-activity Manuka honey, handcrafted from the eastern Taranaki native hill country of New Zealand.

At Bees & Trees, we produce pure, raw, untreated high-activity Manuka honey, handcrafted from the eastern Taranaki native hill country of New Zealand. 

When you buy a jar of our Manuka honey, here’s what you can count on from us:

• Sustainability & Quality: Our dedicated and experienced team of beekeepers work hard to keep our bees healthy and happy. Our hives are nestled within the pristine native New Zealand forests–many of these sites are so remote that they are only accessible by helicopter. This means our bees forage primarily on Manuka trees, which results in higher MGO levels in our honey.
• Small-batch production: We extract the honey in our own facility in small batches to ensure the honey is minimally processed and of the highest quality.
• Independent testing: Each batch is independently tested for their purity and concentration levels of MGO (Methylglyoxal), and we make our lab results publicly available–full transparency about the potency of our honey.
• Authenticity: As a licensed New Zealand Fernmark company, we follow strict governance, regulatory, and quality standards, ensuring the highest level of integrity in everything we do.

We are so confident in the quality of our Manuka honey that we offer every one of our customers a no-questions-asked satisfaction guarantee. 

If you're not completely satisfied with our product, we’ll happily refund your purchase price—whether the jar is open or unopened. No fine print, just pure, natural honey that we believe in.

Bring home a jar today and enjoy the exceptional quality of authentic Bees & Trees Manuka honey.

Need more information? Here is more on what makes Manuka honey so special, how to spot authentic jars, and the effort we put into delivering pure honey from hive to jar.

What exactly is Manuka Honey?

Manuka honey is a unique honey made by bees that forage on the flowers of the native New Zealand Manuka tree. It has a unique, earthy flavor and a thick, rich texture, and it’s packed with nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins, and enzymes. 

What truly sets Manuka honey apart, however, is the presence of Methylglyoxal (MGO), a compound that correlates to the honey’s powerful antibacterial properties and contributes to its health benefits.

What’s the fuss with Manuka Honey?

It's not hard to find someone singing the praises of Manuka Honey these days. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson credit it for their great complexions, while tennis star Novak Djokovic says it gives him a boost on the court.

There’s a good reason for that. Doctors and researchers (as far back as 30 years ago) have found that Manuka Honey has unique bioactive properties not found in traditional honey. Scientists believe the bioactive properties support and boost the body’s own immune system, resulting in benefits ranging from fighting off the common cold to wound care treatment for antibiotic-resistant skin infections.

Independently Tested for MGO Levels

While taste and color are our initial indicators, every batch of Manuka honey must be tested to confirm its MGO concentration. Dietary Methylglyoxal, abbreviated as MGO, is a naturally occurring organic compound found in high concentrations in Manuka Honey. We send samples from each of our batches to independent laboratories in New Zealand, and they test the honey for dietary Methylglyoxal. Test results are given as mg/kg, and the concentration of MGO directly correlates to the health and wellness benefits of Manuka Honey. 

Typical tests return anywhere from 100–250 mg/kg at harvest time. Then, this concentration changes over time as a precursor organic compound in the honey, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), converts to MGO.

Legitimate Active Manuka Honey - What should be on the label?

There are only two legitimate, industry-recognized, and independently verifiable ways to label Manuka Honey:

1. Manuka Honey should be labeled with the actual MGO test results (in mg/kg) or
2. Manuka Honey can also be labeled with a rating on the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) scale.

We label our honey with the actual MGO results and make our test results publicly available (example here: (Click here for AFNB16 Batch - MGO 550 Lab Report).

When you see anything else on a label of honey purporting to be Manuka honey, you should steer well clear. Examples of what continues to show up on labels include: “Active,” “Bio-Active,” “Total Activity,” and “K-Factor,” plus a number typically ranging from 5+ to 20+. 

When labeled this way, the company is trying to intentionally mislead the consumer into thinking they are getting a high MGO (or UMF) honey when, in reality, they are typically getting a very low concentration or low activity (i.e. low MGO value) honey.

Licensed New Zealand Fernmark Company

With unscrupulous sellers trying to pass off counterfeit New Zealand honey, you'd be wise to ask where your honey comes from. Bees & Trees is located in the Taranaki region of New Zealand (see the circle on the map). 

We have been accepted by the New Zealand Fernmark license program, where membership requirements include strict adherence to New Zealand’s financial, regulatory, and governance requirements. 

Our participation in this program is further evidence of the provenance of our honey and our dedication to the high-quality standards associated with the license requirements.

Pure, Raw, Hive-to-Jar Honey

All of our Manuka Honey is sourced from sites that we control and are stocked with our hives. We produce hive-to-jar honey from these sites. 

Our honey may vary in color and texture from batch to batch. The granulation of honey is natural and varies from batch to batch based on several factors related to the season. 

The way the bees make the honey is the way we give it to you. This ensures our honey has all the wonderful health benefits you'd expect, in addition to the added bonus of being a marvelous-tasting gourmet food.

Manuka Honey Buying Guide

Whether you're buying our Manuka Honey or someone else’s, we want you to be informed. 

To find a brand you can trust, you should check for the following criteria:

1. MGO or UMF ratings on the package— anything else is deceptive.
2. Publicly available laboratory test results (from an independent testing lab) indicating levels of dietary methylglyoxal.
3. Compare pricing ($/oz) for Manuka honey. Different package sizes make the price per oz the only viable comparison.

At Bees & Trees, we meet the highest quality, transparency, and authenticity standards. Discover our range of premium Manuka honey and see why we’re a trusted choice. 

Yours,

Mike Everly
Founder

PS: If you have any questions at all, ask us anything.