- Bees play a crucial role in our ecosystem as pollinators. Without these little guys, we wouldn’t have crops and we most certainly wouldn’t have honey!
- Better beekeeping = better honey.
- The Art of Ethical Beekeeping ensures our honey retains its special beneficial compounds and its delicious creamy caramel flavor, without compromising the health and happiness of our special little heroes.
- Our honey is free of antibiotics and environmental toxins such as glyphosate, and is certified non-GMO.
- Delicately harvested and 100% raw.
What Is The Art of Ethical Beekeeping?
Not all honey is created equal and not all bees are treated equally. At Manukora, we do things differently. We practice what we call The Art of Ethical Beekeeping, an old school beekeeping standard that prioritizes the health of the bees, their habitats, and our planet.
Simply put: Better beekeeping = better honey. In other words, it’s not only good for the bees and the planet, it’s good for you. We believe that by taking care of our bees, we're helping to support the planet's natural balance.
There are four main pillars to this standard that ensure we are allowing the bees to live healthy, happy lives in their natural habitats.
Why Is Ethical Beekeeping Important?
Without honey bees and other pollinators, our planet would be in dire peril. No pollinators effectively means no crops. Of all the crop plants grown around the world, a whopping 80% require pollination by animals. Some reports even suggest that without beekeepers, we would not have enough bees to pollinate the amount of crops required to feed the world's population.
Not only that, but other critical ecosystems would suffer.
Thus, at Manukora, we recognize the incredible importance of these beautiful creatures, and work tirelessly to ensure they are healthy, happy and respected. We believe that the best Manuka honey is produced when the honey bees and their environment are put first.
The Pollinator Partnership
Over Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we provided an education curriculum and the materials to build a pollinator habitat to more than 80 schools across California in conjunction with the Pollinator Partnership! So much positive change comes from children and young people, it’s vitally important we are giving them the skills and knowledge to make these meaningful changes. After all, it’s them who will inherit the planet.
Read more about this initiative here. We look forward to continuing our work with Pollinator Partnership to create an awareness and impact beyond our own operations.
How Does Ethical Beekeeping Work?
The Art of Ethical Beekeeping is a multi-faceted strategy. So, let's break this down:
- To prioritize the health of bees, we actively place hives where they will not be required to be moved between summer (the Manuka season) and winter. By targeting sites that have good variation of flowering species, the bees can naturally feed where possible outside of the Manuka flowering season. At Manukora, we take the approach of minimal hive disturbance; we do not move hives outside of a 50 mile radius to reduce the impact on bees moving from wintering sites to Manuka sites, and ensure no more than one colony is placed per hectare of wild Manuka (about the size of two football fields). All this combines to make sure our honey bees have access to the diverse and plentiful sources of pollen and nectar that they need. All our honey can be traced back to these single areas of origin by scanning the unique QR code on the lid of every jar.
- Although some honey companies will take all of the honey off the hives each harvest, we support the honey bees and their queen by ensuring at least 30 pounds of honey is left in the hives for them to feed on and thrive throughout the cooler, darker months. Happy, healthy bees produce superior honey, while also ensuring the crucial long term survival of these unique pollinators. The worker bees gather around the queen bee to form a winter cluster, which keeps the queen and the rest of the colony alive. Without being able to feed on the nutritious honey they have stored in the hive for the winter, they wouldn’t survive.
- Through careful placement of hives in wild and remote forests, our honey is free of environmental toxins such as glyphosate. Every batch is third party laboratory tested to ensure there are no traces of glyphosate or other damaging pesticides, which can be linked to colony collapse disorder. We also guarantee the absence of any genetically manufactured organisms or antibiotics, and are members of The Non-GMO Project. This means healthy bees, healthier humans, and a healthier planet.
- Without our amazing beekeepers, we wouldn’t be able to care for our beautiful honey bees. We have strong, direct relationships with all our beekeepers throughout New Zealand, and work with and support their local communities through activities such as replanting.
- Our honey is delicately harvested and extracted, allowing both honey and bees to maintain peak condition. Our Manuka honey is kept raw; this means the honey is left in its original, natural state, just the way it comes out of the hive. It isn’t pasteurized, excessively heat treated, or finely filtered, which allows it to retain all of its naturally occurring beneficial nutrients, as well as its glorious rich, creamy, caramel flavor. Learn more about raw honey here.
Summary
Our ethical beekeeping practices prioritize the health of our bees by ensuring they have access to natural food sources and comfortable hives that allow them to thrive in a stress-free environment. By following these practices, we can ensure that our bees remain healthy and happy, and continue to do their essential work as pollinators.
At Manukora, our dedication to ethical beekeeping is not just about producing trending Manuka honey products but about nurturing the natural cycle of our environment. The Manuka Honey 20+ MGO850 and our convenient MGO 850 10-pack stick packets are more than just products; they are the fruits of a philosophy that respects and protects our bees.
By delving deeper into ethical beekeeping, we foster a harmonious relationship with these vital pollinators. Understanding the role of MGO (methylglyoxal) in Manuka honey not only illuminates its unique properties but also highlights the importance of preserving the natural habitats where this magic happens.
Additionally, learning about sustaining healthy energy with Manuka honey can transform your approach to wellness. We invite you to explore the benefits of bee pollen and join us in this journey towards a more sustainable and bee-friendly future.
We encourage you to recognize the vital role that bees play in our ecosystem and to support ethical beekeeping practices that prioritize bee welfare. We believe that together, we can help preserve these critical pollinators for generations to come.
