Location, Location, Location: Five Reasons Why King Island Pure Manuka Honey Is So Unique

When people hear the phrase "location, location, location", they usually think about buying real estate.

But when it comes to producing exceptional food, location is even more important.

At King Island Pure Manuka, we believe our location is one of the biggest reasons our honey is unlike any other. 

From our remote island setting and ancient Manuka forests to some of the cleanest air on Earth, every aspect of King Island contributes to the purity and quality of every jar we produce.

1. A Naturally Protected Island

King Island sits in the middle of Bass Strait, between mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Surrounded by ocean, the island enjoys a natural level of biosecurity that is almost impossible to replicate elsewhere. This isolation has protected King Island from many of the pests and diseases that affect beehives throughout Australia, New Zealand and much of the rest of the world.

Our bees are free from major threats including:

• Varroa mite
• Small hive beetle
• American Foulbrood
• European Foulbrood

Because these pests and diseases are absent from King Island, we don't need to treat our hives with the chemical products commonly used by beekeepers elsewhere. It's just one more reason our honey is naturally pure.

2. Home to Some of the World's Oldest Manuka Forests

Location isn't just about protecting our bees. It's also about the remarkable landscape they call home.

King Island is home to some of the oldest naturally occurring Manuka forests in existence. In fact, evidence preserved in the island's famous calcified forest suggests Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) has been growing here for more than 25,000 years.

These ancient forests are a living reminder of the long natural history of the species and provide an extraordinary environment for our bees to forage.

Every flowering season, the bees collect nectar from these wild Manuka trees to produce the honey that has made King Island Pure Manuka so distinctive.

3. Truly Monofloral Manuka Honey

Many people have heard the term monofloral when talking about Manuka honey.

It means the nectar used to make the honey comes predominantly from a single plant species.

In most locations, proving this is extremely difficult because bees naturally forage wherever flowers are available. You can't tell a bee which flower to visit next.

King Island is different.

Around 70% of the island is covered by grazing land, which provides no flowering plants for bees to forage from. When the Manuka trees burst into bloom, there are very few competing flowering species available.

This means our bees have one overwhelmingly dominant source of nectar: the Manuka tree.

The result is exceptionally pure monofloral Manuka honey, produced naturally by the unique conditions found only on King Island.

4. Some of the Cleanest Air on Earth

The environment surrounding our bees is just as important as the flowers they visit.

Clean air produces clean rainwater.

Clean rainwater nourishes healthy soils and thriving Manuka trees.

And healthy Manuka trees produce the nectar and pollen our bees need to make exceptional honey.

Just 140 kilometres south-east of King Island sits the internationally recognised Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station. Operated by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, the station has monitored atmospheric conditions since 1976 and is recognised as one of the world's premier baseline air monitoring stations.

Air arriving at Cape Grim has consistently recorded some of the cleanest measurements in the world after travelling thousands of kilometres across the Southern Ocean.

Those same clean air systems also influence King Island, providing an exceptionally clean environment for our forests, our bees and our honey.

5. Complete Traceability You Can Trust

Knowing where your food comes from has never been more important.

While many honey brands can tell you the region where their honey was produced, King Island Pure Manuka goes much further.

We can identify exactly which apiary produced each grade of honey, right down to the individual jar.

That's more than traceability.

It's complete transparency.

When you buy directly from King Island Pure Manuka, you know exactly where your honey comes from and the unique environment that made it possible.

A Place Like No Other

Some things simply can't be replicated.

King Island's unique geography, pristine environment and naturally flourishing Manuka forests provide the perfect conditions for producing exceptional honey.

That's why every jar of King Island Pure Manuka captures the character of the island it comes from.

King Island Pure Manuka. Honey you can truly trust.

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