4 | A sweet journey to international acclaim A highlight was last year winning a platinum quality award at the Paris International Honey Awards and gold at the London International Honey Awards for their manuka honey. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AHA Honey T T Rosa Watson “We don’t produce a high volume of honey, but the quality is definitely second to none. We focus on quality and care of our bees, rather than growth and taking shortcuts.” A passion for beekeeping and a desire to learn more about the industry saw Tauturuhe Rey move from his homeland of Tahiti to New Zealand and launch an award-winning honey business. His Taupo-based family business, AHA Honey, sells its high-quality honey products to local farmers’ markets and small retailers across the North Island. Manuka honey is its main seller, but the clover and bush honey ranges are growing. After starting his beekeeping journey back home in Tahiti, in 2014 Tauturuhe moved to New Zealand having heard about the world class beekeeping industry here. “I found out New Zealand beekeepers are really good in the way that they manage their hives, and they have a strong structure in the way they have their industry,” he says. Tauturuh initially worked as a casual beekeeper for companies around the Waikato region, then in 2016 decided to go out on his own, buying and operating his first hives. He was joined in the venture by his wife, Audrey. “From one hive we worked out way up to 35 hives,” he says. “We decided to turn what started as a simple side hustle into a business – a more serious business.” At the same time the couple held down full-time jobs. For financial support for the venture, they teamed up with a local family in 2018, forming a partnership to go into business. “We outlined our project and our vision. They decided to jump on board with us and injected some funding.” With their partners, they came up with a name in honour of their children – A for Tauturuhe and Audrey’s daughter, Akitahi, and H and A for the business partners’ daughters, Heidi and Ameliya. “It was original, because it was nice and short and had a meaning – a story behind the brand’s name. It was the perfect fit,” Tauhuruhe says. Two years later, Tauturuhe and Audrey were able to buy out their business partners and continue to grow AHA Honey, increasing hive numbers to around 100. They were about to commit full-time to the business when some unpredictable events impacted their operations, including the two Covid lockdowns. “We experienced heavy losses,” Tauturuhe recalls. Just as they were recovering from that, they were hit with Cyclone Gabriel, which brought markets to a standstill. However, the couple rallied and continued on. “We managed to work through, despite the losses and increasing overheads. For us, we decided to get back up and rebuild the numbers, because we believe in ourselves, in our bees and in the industry as well,” Tauturuhe says. They currently have around 65 hives scattered around the Taupo region. A highlight was last year winning a platinum quality award at the Paris International Honey Awards and gold at the London International Honey Awards for their manuka honey. “Winning those awards really confirmed the quality of our honey,” Tauturuhe says. “We don’t produce a high volume of honey, but the quality is definitely second to none. We focus on quality and care of our bees, rather than growth and taking shortcuts.” Now, Tauturuhe is taking his experience and expertise back to Tahiti to help build a sustainable base for the industry there. “(I’d like to) share my skill and knowledge to help my people to grow and generate some income to make life easier.” He is working with Gaston Tong Sang, the Mayor of Bora-Bora. “Our objective is to empower the beekeepers of the island and turn them into the leaders of a sustainable beekeeping in French Polynesia,” Tauturuhe says. “We can come up with something pretty positive if we can connect with New Zealand.” Beekeeping in Tahiti is completely different from in New Zealand, with the New Zealand seasons having to be managed differently. “Beekeeping in New Zealand cannot be compared to what is done in Tahiti. The conditions are different, and so is the environment. It is also an emerging industry,” he says. “The honey industry in Tahiti has a great potential. but the structure has to be reviewed.” Here in New Zealand, he hopes to see the industry provide consistency across the board to include commercial, semi-commercial and hobby beekeeping operations. And for AHA Honey, he hopes to grow the business further and tap into the export market. “It would be really great if we can have the opportunity, but we need to work out the logistics and volume to meet the demands as well. “We still have full-time jobs, and at the same time we’re operating our hives and business the best we can.” Cosana NZ are proud to support AHA Honey An all-natural & potent solution from nature. 'Bee' healthier together with our manuka honey products. 07 378 2018 / 027 313 8616 www.cosananewzealand.co.nz
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