What started as a couple of backyard hives has blossomed into Australia’s Manuka, a premium Manuka honey producer dedicated to quality, sustainability, and tradition. Founded by Michael and Kat, the journey began with a love for beekeeping and a chance discovery of native Leptospermum bushes while exploring the Australian bushland. Recognising the potential of Australian Manuka honey, they partnered with the University of the Sunshine Coast to map and test local Leptospermum species, setting the foundation for what would become one of Australia’s leading hive-to-home honey brands.
Today, Australia’s Manuka remains a family-run business committed to crafting pure, high-MGO Manuka honey using sustainable, organic practices. Their honey is harvested with care, using traditional cold extraction methods to preserve its unique bioactive properties. From hive to jar, every step is taken with the utmost respect for nature, the bees, and the land.
Recently, the team at Manuka Hut caught up with Hope Evans, Associate Director at Australia’s Manuka, to talk about their journey, their commitment to sustainability, and what makes Australian Manuka honey so special.
Interview with Director Hope Evans
What’s the story behind Australia's Manuka, and how did it all begin?
"We began as Tyagarah Apiaries with two hobbie hives, Michael our founder has kept hives since he was a boy. He and Kat slowly built up the hives selling honey locally to shops and friends. Then one day while bush walking with Kats life long friend and Maori the late Cheryl Livingstone, they discovered local Manuka bushes. Michael and Kat could see the potential and in the local Manuka or Leptospermum shrubs and so they changed the name of the business and worked closely with University of Sunshine Coast to map the Australian Leptopermum species on the East Coast and testing the honey gathered from these areas."
What would you say to customers who are unsure about trying Australian Manuka honey for the first time?
"Honey, from our hive to your home. We harvest, delicately mature, pack and sell our honey. We specialise in producing premium Manuka honey. We take pride in producing quality, slow and real honey. All of our Manuka honey is independently tested to ensure accurate levels of MGO.
Australian Manuka honey has a more delicate sweet flavour than New Zealand Manuka which make it a favourite. Less food miles than purchasing a New Zealand product as you are buying from a local Australian family business."
Can you walk us through how your Manuka honey is crafted from hive to jar?
"Accessing bee hive sites that give the bees access to Manuka flowers is often difficult as they are isolated and off road. We carefully select sites to ensure the best quality Manuka honey possible. Our bees are managed naturally, using organic principles and with a high level of care for their health and wellbeing. We do not sugar feed or use veterinary pharmaceuticals or antibiotics. We then harvest our honey with and old cold extraction method. This is a slower extraction method but it retains the purity and bioactive compounds in the honey compared to some other methods.
The honey is then finely filtered before it is stored for maturity. We test our honey a number of times before it is finally deemed ready for its taste, MGO and consistency by the head honey man Michael. We then naturally cream our honey to extend its like before crystallisation. We jar and label our honey in our honey shed before it is shipped to customers."
Your Manuka honey boasts some of the highest MGO levels in the industry, what’s your secret to achieving this?
"This exceptionally rare honey is the result of just the right combination of weather, golden sunshine and spring rainfall – creating the perfect opportunity for our bees to forage nectar from untouched Leptospermum forests to bring you the purest and highest quality Australian Manuka honey. This high grade honey is often single origin from a single apiary and single years harvest."
What are you most excited about when you think about the future of Australia's Manuka?
"We are one of the only hive to home or farm to table brands in the market and we create exceptional honey! We have a few new products we are bringing to the broader market some of our non Manuka honeys which are really beautiful honeys packed full of pre biotics, enzymes, antioxidants and naturally lower GI than processed sugars. We have chosen to go the old way and label our honey based on the flower the nectar has been collected from these are all cold extracted beautiful honeys.
They support our bees through out the year during winter we collect Red Banksia honey a thick rich red honey with a toffee butter flavour. Then early spring to build up our hives strong we collect the Macadamia honey from the pollination of the local macadamia orchards, and the late spring we collect the Eucalyptus honey from in the in land ranges of Bundjalung country."
Byron Bay is such a beautiful place, how does the location inspire your work and your honey?
"The pristine coastal forest surrounding Byron Bay is where we work, live and play these abundant country side is what creates all our amazing honey. Working and relying on nature really connects us to the land and we really appreciate our beautiful ecosystems and biodiversity. Biodiversity is important for bees survival as they need to source nectar from a biodiverse range of flowers to be healthy."
Sustainability is a big focus for many brands today. What steps do you take to protect the environment and support local communities?
"We donate a lot of honey post natural disasters which seems to occur every second or third year lately, we also donate a lot of honey to animal rescue organisations like WIREs, Byron Wildlife Hospital and Seabird and Turtle Rescue. We employ around 10 local staff from the community.
We care for our bees as sustainably as possible as mentioned previously. Our honey she is run on solar and battery power. We offer refills for jars at our local farmers market and honey shed and all our jars sold a recyclable."
How do you ensure that every jar of honey is traceable and comes with complete transparency?
"Yes, we can trace by the batch number on the jar where the honey has come from."
Hope Evans - Associate Director at Australia's Manuka
Hope is an Associate Director learning from Kat and Michael to take on more of a management role. Hope currently focusses on sales and marketing while assisting Kat and Michael as required. Hope is passionate about the regenerative movement and local, slow, whole foods. She is also keen to educate people about honey and using raw honey as a medicine and health food.
Hope has completed a Bachelor of International Business and Master of Sustainable Development. While working part time with Australia’s Manuka Hope established her own Financial Planning practice which specialised in Ethical Investment. Hope sold her practice in 2023 to join Australia’s Manuka full time. She also enjoys the beach, camping, reading, yoga and pilates.
Manuka Hut is an official reseller of Australia's Manuka
As an official Australia’s Manuka reseller, Manuka Hut brings you exclusive deals on their premium Australian Manuka honey. Don’t miss out on our special offers to experience the unique benefits of authentic Australian Manuka honey!
The Author: Beppe
Beppe, the founder of Manuka Hut, is passionately dedicated to sourcing the finest Manuka honey from the pristine landscapes of Australia and New Zealand. His focus on authenticity and quality ensures customer satisfaction worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Australia’s Manuka produce its honey?
From hive to jar, Australia’s Manuka follows a natural and sustainable process. Their bees forage in remote areas abundant in Manuka flowers, and the honey is extracted using a slow, cold method to retain its bioactive properties. The honey is then naturally creamed to prevent crystallisation before being packed and sent to customers.
Why is Australia’s Manuka honey considered high quality?
Each batch is independently tested multiple times to verify its MGO levels, taste, and consistency. Australia’s Manuka follows organic principles, avoids sugar feeding, and does not use antibiotics or veterinary pharmaceuticals in hive management.
