| 57 The True Honey Company Premium packaging for a premium product. True Honey is sourced from some of the most remote parts of New Zealand. PRODUCTION TRUE HONEY Looking for a truly sweet, world-class printer? • Cartage Contractors • Lime & Fertiliser Spreading Contractors • Livestock Transport • Transport Co-Ordinators & Consultants Phone: (06) 857 8170 | Email: all@stephensontransport.co.nz | Our core purpose is to create new food products, through technology, that makes a difference. Our honey powder is bulk supplied and is used in wet and dry food systems, confectionary and health bars, powdered soups, sauces, gravies, custards, cosmetics, pet food, milk products, an alternative to sugar and dry bakery premixes. sold a few shelves over in glass bottles for $20 or $30. “We see it as a taonga so want to present it accordingly, with premium packaging for the premium end of the market,” says Jim. They’ve come a long way from one beekeeper and the first couple of hundred hives flown deep into the bush in the back country of the Tararua as Jim sought proof of concept. The team now comprises around 40 staff plus 10 casuals and around 4000 beehives. “We’ve set up partnerships a bit like share-farming arrangements whereby they (landowners) provide the resource, we provide the technology and the hives and so on, and we share in what’s produced,” says Jim. In 2020 True Honey produced one of the highest-rating independently rated honeys in the world with 1900 MGO’s. “We did a joint collaboration with Harrods in London with an exclusive number of jars for its launch, and they were retailing for circa NZ$5000 for a 230-gm jar,” says Jim. “We believe The True Honey Co is the first brand and company globally to truly place a value on Mānuka Honey. Our brand has not only raised the bar for the Mānuka honey category but proved that a natural wellness product can and should be a luxury.” During Covid the enforced lockdown brought on another round of innovation, necessitated by the desire to communicate with their international customer base wherever they were in the world. They developed an immersive 360 degree Virtual Reality experience sharing the experience of making what they market as ‘the purest honey in the world’, showing the extreme lengths they go to, and showcasing New Zealand’s beautiful landscapes. Combined with their belief in authenticity and integrity, and their desire to take their customers with them on every step of their honey producing journey, it’s brought them to the finals of the International Business Awards for Excellence in Storytelling. With the event just around the corner they’ve got a good chance of having their values-led, consumer-centric approach to production paying off.
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