Mānuka honing

Mānuka Honey

Mānuka Honey

Not Your Average Honey

Deep in New Zealand’s rugged wilderness grows the mānuka shrub (Leptospermum scoparium). A hardy shrub that thrives in places where nature still runs free. Mānuka blooms for only a few weeks each year. During this brief period, bees collect nectar from its tiny flowers. Rain, wind and temperature determine how much honey can be harvested each season.

No two seasons are the same. No two harvests are the same. Nature cannot be rushed or scaled up at will. That is precisely what makes mānuka honey so exclusive. We do not push nature; we leave it to the bees to perfect the honey. You will find the result in every jar: pure nature, with no additives and a character you can taste from the very first spoonful.

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What Makes Mānuka Honey Different?

Natural Power in Every Spoonful!

You do not choose mānuka honey just because it tastes good. It also contains MGO: methylglyoxal, a naturally occurring compound formed when nectar from the mānuka flower is transformed into honey inside the hive.

MGO is also present in other types of honey, but usually in much lower concentrations. In genuine mānuka honey, its concentration can be exceptionally high. This natural difference gives mānuka honey its distinctive status and makes it popular worldwide among people who care about nutrition, provenance and health.

Every jar from Bush and the Bee displays a specific MGO rating, such as MGO 263+. This simply means that the honey contains at least 263 milligrams of MGO per kilogram. The higher the number, the more MGO it contains. Not an empty promise, but measurable natural power. Every batch is individually tested in a laboratory.

A brief flowering season. Exceptional nectar. An unusually high MGO level. Together, they make mānuka honey much more than something sweet: a powerful natural product that has earned a place in the daily routines of conscious food lovers around the world.

The Unique Taste

of Mānuka Honey

Mānuka honey is no ordinary honey. It has real depth. Its flavour is rich and aromatic, with notes of caramel. Its texture is creamy. It is the kind of honey that takes only one spoonful to understand why people are so enthusiastic about it.

A good habit does not need to be complicated. Start your day with a spoonful of mānuka honey straight from the jar and make it your own daily ritual.

But there are plenty of other ways to enjoy it. The flavour of mānuka honey brings both sweet and savoury dishes to life. From Greek yogurt, creamy chia pudding and fruity smoothies to curries and sticky glazes for salmon or spare ribs—the possibilities are endless. Here is a little inspiration to get you started:

Stir a spoonful into yogurt, quark, oatmeal or chia pudding.

Spread the honey on bread, toast or a cracker.

Add it to tea or a drink made with lemon and ginger.

Use it as a topping for pancakes, waffles or fresh fruit.

Pair it with cheese, nuts and dark chocolate on a sharing board.

Blend a spoonful into your favourite smoothie.

Mix it into a dressing, marinade or sauce for a sweet and aromatic twist.

Stir it into a curry at the very last moment.

Turn it into a sticky glaze for salmon, chicken, vegetables or BBQ spare ribs.

Ancient Knowledge

A ‘New’ Honey

Long before mānuka honey existed, the mānuka shrub already held an important place within rongoā Māori, the traditional healing system of the Māori. Historical sources describe how Māori healers used different parts of the shrub:

The leaves were brewed into tea for fevers.

Steam from boiled leaves was used for colds.

The inner bark was used to make a mouthwash.

Bark preparations were used for burns and skin conditions.

Ash from burned mānuka was applied to the skin and scalp.

Only after European settlers introduced the honeybee to New Zealand in the nineteenth century did the remarkable partnership between shrub and bee emerge. It marked the beginning of one of the world’s most distinctive types of honey.