The Potency of Raw Manuka Honey

Authentic raw Manuka Honey comes from the nectar of the native Manuka flower in the pristine forests of New Zealand.

Manuka Honey truly is a natural wonder and one of the most versatile and delicious ways to help support your body. Renowned for its unique flavor Manuka Honey contains more than 2,000 different compounds, over 20 times more than other types of honey.

And just like most things in the wild, the less you interfere, the better! Continue reading to discover why trusting in our bees (and good old Mother Nature) to do the right thing, delivers some of the highest quality, most authentic raw honey on the planet.

What is raw Manuka Honey?
Raw Manuka Honey can be described as honey ‘as it exists in the beehive’. Not only is it sourced naturally from the hive, it hasn’t been heated past the point which can affect its natural properties. Nor has anything been added, such as sugar, water or chemicals.

Raw honey is simply strained before it's bottled, which means it retains almost all of the beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that nature put there. Some brands of honey may undergo a variety of processes, which can remove beneficial nutrients and reduce the level of antioxidants – but not Comvita raw Manuka Honey !

Authentic Raw Manuka Honey comes from the nectar of the Manuka flower in the pristine forests of New Zealand. Comvita Manuka Honey is raw, wild, unpasteurized, Non-GMO Project Certified , halal, kosher, and certified gluten-free and glyphosate residue-free. In other words, it’s as pure and natural as honey can get.

Manuka Honey contains a unique range of beneficial oligosaccharides and prebiotics, amino acids, polyphenolic and other plant-derived compounds. In the case of Comvita Manuka Honey, it’s also fully traceable, from hive to shelf.

Comvita has been supplying quality raw Manuka Honey to the world since 1974, from our hives to your home.

Why is it more expensive than other types of honey?
Manuka Honey is harvested by honeybees (Apis mellifera) from the nectar of the Manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium), which is indigenous to New Zealand1. Unlike most other varieties of honey which can be collected throughout much of the year, Manuka Honey is a limited resource because bees only have a short window of time to collect the precious nectar needed to make Manuka Honey.

For a brief and precious few weeks when the Manuka trees blossom, our very busy bees work their magic. In addition to a short bloom window, native Manuka flowers are only found in specific microclimates in its native New Zealand - often in the most isolated hills, fields and forests. This wild plant is very sensitive to changes in climate and weather, pollution and other human interference, so the further away the Manuka plant is situated from human contact, the healthier the Manuka flower, bee colonies and Manuka Honey.

No wonder raw Manuka Honey is so prized and precious.

Manuka Honey also has a distinctive taste and color which intensifies as the level of purity increases (which is measured by its UMF rating). 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. Every jar tells its own unique story of that season.

Manuka flowers only bloom for a short time, just one of the reasons why pure, raw Manuka Honey is a unique and precious product.

What standards are in place, so I know I’m getting the best raw Manuka Honey?
Comvita’s Raw Manuka Honey may come to you just as nature intended, but that doesn’t mean strict quality checks and standards are not in place to ensure you are getting the most authentic, highest quality raw product.

Every batch of Comvita Manuka Honey is tested and certified in our laboratory. It also carries the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF™) trademark of the UMF Honey Association, which independently certifies the quality of Manuka Honey and validates its authenticity, freshness, purity and quality.

Only UMF measures the signature compounds (Leptosperin, DHA, HMF and MGO)found in genuine, monofloral Manuka Honey.

Many other popular Manuka products without UMF certification are branded with marketing terms like ‘Factors’, These terms can be confusing, so we recommend using UMF ™ as your guide to the quality, purity and potency of Manuka Honey. As a world leader in Manuka Honey, nearly 50 years of beekeeping science, knowledge and care is lovingly bottled into every jar.

Look for the UMF rating on your raw Manuka Honey. This is a quality assurance trademark that measures the unique type of activity naturally present in Manuka Honey, as well as its New Zealand origin and monofloral source.

What are the benefits of raw Manuka Honey?
Manuka Honey is nothing like other types of honey. Local wildflower honeys and conventional clover honeys may always have a place in your cupboard, but Manuka Honey contains up to 20 times the individual natural compounds, giving it a range of properties that are unique to Manuka Honey. It’s truly nature’s most powerful honey.
So why not start enjoying the unique and special qualities of Comvita Manuka Honey - raw, wild, unpasteurized and absolutely the real deal.