What makes Australian Manuka honey the superior choice?
At Biosota, we pride ourselves on producing high-quality Australian Manuka honey. While our New Zealand counterparts are also known for Manuka production, there are a few unique features that ensure Australian Manuka is unmatched in potency, purity and quality.
Whether you’re a Manuka newbie, a Biosota enthusiast or have used Manuka honey for generations, discover what makes our Biosota Manuka honey stand apart.
So what is Manuka honey?
Manuka is a unique type of honey, produced by bees that gather nectar from the flowers of the Manuka tree – a species of tree native only to Australia and New Zealand. Scientifically named the Leptospermum scoparium, some of the first Manuka trees originated in Australia and there are claims they migrated to New Zealand from here.
Manuka honey is renowned for its medicinal and health benefits. Here at Biosota, our honey is independently lab-tested and rated according to its MGO level. The higher the rating, the higher the grade of your honey and its benefits.
More is more: Australia’s unmatchable variety of Manuka
The diversity of Australia’s Manuka trees is vastly superior to New Zealand. Australia is home to 83 species of Manuka, 12 of which have bioactive, medicinal properties, making them ideal for high-MGO Manuka production. In comparison, New Zealand has only one.
Our iconic Australian bushland and warm climates provide the ideal conditions for Manuka forests to thrive. Biosota’s bee sites are perfectly placed in rural New South Wales and Queensland so as to harness the full goodness of our Manuka. This also ensures Biosota’s honey maintains a high level of purity, something that competitors, both here and abroad, cannot match.
From bush to table: As natural as it gets
Manuka honey offers a wealth of medicinal benefits, all while boasting an incredible flavour. Ensuring our raw honey is preserved at its most natural level, we avoid any significant transformations from the original product. Our honey is left exactly as nature (and the bee that collected it) intended!
The rich fullness of Biosota’s Manuka is created by the careful extraction of our honey from the hive. Biosota avoids heat in our honey-producing process as it may kill natural enzymes and live bacteria - both of which make Manuka honey so special.
In comparison, many New Zealand Manuka products are ‘creamed’ to create a consistent texture and avoid crystallising. Crystallising is an entirely natural side-effect of honey but one that many companies aim to remove purely for aesthetic reasons.
Warm with a side of sunshine: Australia’s unbeatable climate
Australian weather cannot be beaten. When Manuka season rolls around, our New Zealand buddies are still shaking off the frost, while Australia’s Manuka trees are thriving in the balmy warmth of spring. As Manuka flowering only lasts between two and six weeks of the year, our warm weather plays a leading role in Australia’s impeccable harvesting seasons.
Not to mention, at Biosota, we strategically rotate our hives to sunny, sheltered sites, ensuring our bees are placed near naturally abundant supplies of Manuka and water. This also means many of Biosota’s Manuka honey products are certified organic.
Family-owned with beekeeping at its heart
While Biosota uses stringent MGO lab tests and consistently liaises with experts, it’s our knowledge as third-generation beekeepers that keeps us at the top of the Australian market.
Harvesting our honey from hives that are nestled deep in the Australian bush has proven its worth again and again. Situating our hives in remote areas enables Biosota to produce our Manuka honey far away from the influence of chemicals or pollutants. This, in turn, allows us to achieve our organic and non-GMO certifications. It also ensures our bees are not bothered by noise or distraction and can go about their harvest efficiently and calmly.
Not only do these aspects give us an edge over our competition, but they continue to reaffirm our passion for producing high-quality Australian Manuka honey.
Even bees need a health check: Maintaining MGO and quality, always.
Biosota’s unbeatable Manuka purity wouldn’t be possible without healthy hives and extensive lab testing.
Our beekeepers complete regular health checks on our hives – testing the honey itself, checking pollen stores and looking for other key indicators that our bees are thriving. The colour and taste of our honey is also equally important in our Manuka production.
After harvesting, our honey is independently lab tested which ensures our Manuka’s MGO levels are graded accurately and maintain a high-quality product. Every batch of our Australian Manuka honey is rigorously tested in accredited laboratories to ensure its potency, purity, and quality.
Key points:
- Some of the first Manuka species discoveries were in Australia and were believed to later migrate to New Zealand
- Australia has an unmatchable variety of Manuka with 83 native species
- Our iconic bushland and warm weather create the perfect climate for Manuka trees
- The rural location of our hives are perfectly placed to ensure our honey is pure and potent, with much of it being certified 100% organic and non-GMO
- We use stringent lab testing to ensure our honey is of the highest quality
Like to learn more about Biosota’s Australian Manuka honey? Explore our premium medicinal collection today.
I thought that the GMO was the only benchmark for Manuka honey, and that it was originally New Zealand that produced it.
Mānuka (with the macron) is a traditional Māori word. Mānuka is a traditional medicinal tree used by Māori for centuries. New Zealand led the world in research into medicinal properties. Australia then jumped on the bandwagon using the label manuka. Why not call it tea tree honey and market it as such with the same, or as you claim additional, properties. NZ Mānuka honey has very stringent rules as to what you can call Mānuka honey.
Thank you for all your comments – Manuka honey certainly is an interesting topic! To address your questions:
Anthony – yes, commercial honeybees were first introduced into Australia from Europe in the 1800s. However, honey ants play an important part in Australian Aboriginal culture as bush tucker!
Steve – yes, Manuka bush is also known as Jelly Bush and is part of the Tea Tree family.
Susie – our Manuka honey grades rang from MGO 100 right up to MGO 2000+. Generally, the higher the MGO number, the more active the Manuka honey and the more potent the medicinal benefits.
Nancy – yes, all our Manuka honey is gluten-free and processed in a purpose-built factory that only produces honey.
Rita – you can tell real, authentic Manuka honey by the grades and in Australia we primarily refer to MGO, ULF, and NPA. Our Manuka honey is independently lab tested for Authenticity and grade.
What a great and deserving win for the AMHA!!
I would be really interested if there is any evidence of ancient use by Australian Aboriginals? Speculating they would be the first humans to ever use?
Terrific information, and what deserving outcome for the AMHA! It might also warrant a mention that Australia has over 2000 native bee species against NZ 27 and ground dwelling but from what I understand, the vast Majority of current commercial production is from European bees in both AU and NZ? I would speculate Australian Aboriginals would have been the first humans to ever experience Manuka? Would be really interested if anyone had more info on this?
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