Native Mānuka scrubland, New Zealand
New Zealand
Mānuka is the only honey in the range with a number on the label, because it is the only one where the number refers to something measurable.
Field notes
- Region
- Native Mānuka scrubland, New Zealand
- Floral source
- Mānuka, Leptospermum scoparium
- Harvest
- A short window in the southern summer, roughly December to February, while the Mānuka is in flower
- Grading
- By MGO: milligrams of methylglyoxal per kilogram in that batch. We stock 83+, 261+, 512+, 826+ and 1197+
- In the jar
- Thixotropic, it sets firm and loosens again when you stir it. Thick, faintly medicinal, and it gets more so as the grade climbs
Why Mānuka carries a number
Mānuka nectar contains dihydroxyacetone, which converts over time into methylglyoxal, MGO. The figure on the jar is how much of it a laboratory found in that batch, in milligrams per kilogram. It is a measurement, not a tier a marketing department invented.
What it is not is a quality ranking. A higher grade is a more concentrated honey with a stronger, more medicinal flavour; it is not a better breakfast honey, and for most people it is not the one to buy first.
Which grade to start with
83+ and 261+ are the daily jars, in tea, on toast, off the spoon. 512+ is the step up, and the point where the flavour starts to assert itself. 826+ and 1197+ are deliberate purchases: intense, expensive, and usually bought for a specific reason or as a gift.
All five grades come in 250g and 500g, and the per-gram price drops as the jar gets bigger.
Mānuka, by grade
View all 5
Raw Mānuka Honey MGO 83+
Native Mānuka forest, New Zealand
Light and floral, for every day
135g · 250g · 500g glass jar
Raw Mānuka Honey MGO 261+
Native Mānuka forest, New Zealand
A daily jar with more character
135g · 250g · 500g glass jar
Raw Mānuka Honey MGO 512+
Native Mānuka forest, New Zealand
Rich, dense, higher strength
135g · 250g · 500g glass jar
Raw Mānuka Honey MGO 826+
Native Mānuka forest, New Zealand
Deep, buttery, premium strength
135g · 250g · 500g glass jar
Traceability
How a jar gets here
Single-origin means the chain is short enough to describe in full. This is every step between the grove and your kitchen.
- OriginA named valley, grove or forest, not a country, and not a blend of several.
- BeekeeperBought from the families who keep the hives there, by the harvest rather than by the tonne.
- HarvestTaken once a season, while that floral source is actually in flower. Nothing is fed or forced.
- In the jarStrained for wax, never heated or pasteurised, then sealed. Pollen and natural crystals stay in.
Independent batch testing is not part of this chain yet. When it is, it will appear here as its own step rather than as a claim on the label.
Compare the grades side by side
Every grade of Mānuka we stock sits on one page, with the MGO figure and the price for each so you can see what the step up actually costs.
See all grades