Our Story

Our story begins with the bees, the guardians of the honey.  They work hard throughout the warmer months of the year, flying thousands of kilometres, back and forth to the hives collecting pollen from the abundance of flowers dappled across New Zealand’s clean, pure landscape.

While there are are a vast number of plant species on their menu, the Mānuka bush is the most coveted.  This native bush (leptospermum scoparium) generates a nectar that stirred enthusiasm among health conscious connoisseurs back in the 80s. Scientists at the time had confirmed that it possesses unique, antimicrobial properties and an abundance of further research has backed them up.

Some twenty years later when Raphael Knöpf arrived in New Zealand from Switzerland, he developed a great passion for the land, the honey and the bees.  Knopf Honey was born, and has now grown to a global scale company that is still run with Swiss precision by Raphael and his family back at home in Europe.

Our honey is harvested from some of the most remote areas in New Zealand, predominantly within the Rangitikei.  We nurture our bees, feeding them honey and sugar syrup in the winter months to help them get through, and we monitor them regularly to ensure they don’t get overcrowded.

Sustainability is something we are not just passionate about, but that we see as being essential.  New Zealand’s bee numbers are steadily increasing which is beneficial for not just the honey lovers, but for all farmers working with crops that need pollination. Bees are a vital link in the world’s food chain.  From the manner in which we source our raw materials, right through to the delivery of our honey in glass jars, we ensure best practice.

We are very proud to be producing premium quality Mānuka honey that has complete traceability from hive to honey jar.  It is our pleasure to share it with you and may it bring you good health.