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Honey is one of the oldest known sweeters. It has been an essential part of our diet since earliest times and there is increased interest in its culinary and health properties. Not only is it delicious to eat, honey is hailed for its medicinal properties – it is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and packed with highly valuable nutrients.
Sweetree Honey is a true reflection of the Waikato's flora and fauna. Much like a great wine reflects the terroir of where the grapes have grown, Sweetree Honey’s different varieties reflect the area and season the bees worked their magic. From the gorgeous zesty tones of the Hakarimata to the candy and toffee flavour of Marokopa Spring - there is a Sweetree honey to suit all tastes and occasions. |
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Unblended honeys are not new, but the fact that Sweetree's honeys are not based on a single flower source but the local area and season make our approach quite different.
People who try Sweetree honey often comment how it tastes like the honey they used to have when they were young. It’s much more than just a sweetener. Being in attractive glass jars with stylish labels it makes a great gift.
We call our honey 'raw honey' because it is not heated any higher than would naturally occur in the beehive. In Sally Fallons book 'Nourishing Traditions' raw honey is defined as 'honey that is not heated over 47 degrees C and is loaded with amylases, enzymes that digest carbohydrates, as well as all the nutrients found in plant pollens'. The runny honey found in the supermarket can be heated to such a high temperature that all the goodness is cooked out of it.
You can be confident that our honey has not been heated to high temperatures. It still retains the enzymes, antibacterial qualities and high pollen counts naturally occurring in the honey. To ensure that your honey does not granulate (become sugary) and it maintains a consistent texture we naturally cream our honey. During this process the only thing that is added is a honey that has already naturally finely crystalized, this is used like a starter to start the natural creaming process.
Samples of Sweetree honey tested have a HMF level of <4mg/kg, indicating very low levels of heating and very fresh honey! Fresh extracted honey is usually below 10mg/kg, higher levels such as 40mg/kg indicate excessive heating. Find out more about HMF. Find out more about HMF.
All our products are processed and packed in a NZ Food Safety Authority approved premises – LOR4HONEY/01.
Enjoy the wonderful diverse flavours of Sweetree’s quality raw honeys.
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