Why Is Mānuka Honey So Expensive?

What you’re paying for when you buy authentic Mānuka Honey

High-quality Mānuka Honey is unlike any other, but if you’re wondering why it costs so much, especially compared to other honey varieties, you’re not alone.

At Comvita, we’ve been sourcing delicious, potent honey derived from remote New Zealand locations for decades, so we understand better than anyone what it takes to deliver genuine Mānuka Honey.

Let’s go over all the factors that make Mānuka Honey different from the rest, and why it often comes with a bigger price tag!

Mānuka Honey’s natural compounds are unlike regular honey

Mānuka Honey will certainly seem expensive if you compare it to your cupboard staples. But the first thing to keep in mind when deciding whether to make the purchase is that Mānuka Honey is different from other types of honey.

Compared to the local wildflower and conventional clover honeys you find in any standard kitchen, Mānuka Honey contains 20 times more distinct natural compounds, totalling over 2,000. So, it will seem expensive if you compare it to table honey!

One notable compound in Mānuka Honey is its high levels of methylglyoxal (MGO), a naturally occurring compound studied for its unique activity. In combination with MGO, Mānuka Honey’s antioxidant compounds, phenolic acids, and flavonoids contribute to its reputation as a supplement loaded with distinctive characteristics. 

The honey bees are in charge

Fun fact: 100% genuine Mānuka Honey production is dependent on bees solely pollinating the Mānuka Flower, which is native to New Zealand.

If the Mānuka flower (Leptospermum scoparium) is only one of many blooms pollinated, the honey created is a blend, and is deemed Multi-Floral Mānuka, which has a much lower concentration of naturally occurring compounds. On the other hand, Monofloral Mānuka Honey is created when bees choose to pollinate this unique bloom above all others and offers a higher potency.

To ensure our hardworking honey bees are equipped to focus their efforts on the Mānuka flower, we plant native Mānuka trees in remote locations around New Zealand, guaranteeing these plants dominate the region where our hives are strategically based.

Mānuka Honey that comes from a mix of other plants in addition to Leptospermum scoparium is less pure and therefore, cheaper. But the best quality products demand a higher price because of their careful, labour-intensive process.

The Mānuka Flower’s short blooming window makes its honey a rare commodity

If the Mānuka flower bloomed all spring long, it might make pollination and harvesting a bit simpler (and cheaper), but this special plant has a very short flowering window, blooming in just 2-6 weeks a year.

You might be surprised to hear that bees have as little as 12 days to collect the nectar of the Mānuka flower and create the Mānuka Honey supply of the entire year. It takes bees an incredible 22,700 trips to the Mānuka flower just to gather enough nectar for a single jar of honey!

Because of this narrow flowering season, the effort required from the bees, and the challenges beekeepers face in such remote and even harsh environments, every drop of monofloral Mānuka Honey is rare, hard-won, and precious. 

The Mānuka Flower is only native to the remote hills and forests of New Zealand

New Zealand may be a small country at the bottom of the world, but it’s the proud home of the native Mānuka plant, flourishing across its pristine hillsides and untouched forests. The country’s diverse and isolated microclimates create the perfect conditions for the Mānuka flower to thrive.

The wild plant is susceptible to changes in climate and weather, pollution, and other human interference, so the further away the Mānuka plant is situated from human contact, the cleaner the nectar and honey produced. This makes harvesting genuine Mānuka honey both complex and resource-intensive, one of the key reasons it is so rare and highly valued.

This is precisely why Comvita only harvests Mānuka Honey from strategic locations that are challenging to access, leaving the plants and bees alone to produce their best honey in sustainably managed and regenerative ecosystems.

Not all Mānuka flowers bloom equally

In addition to the Mānuka flower’s rarity, not all blooms create nectar that yields a high concentration of Mānuka’s four key chemical markers: Leptosperin, Methylglyoxal, DHA, and HMF. So despite all this work of pollinating the rare bloom to create this unique honey, it may still not have meaningful levels of Mānuka’s unique properties that make it popular for a range of natural and premium applications.

The combination of this natural unpredictability with the already narrow flowering season makes high-grade, genuine Mānuka honey exceptionally scarce, and it’s precisely this scarcity that drives its value and higher cost.  

Testing, testing, and more testing!

So, how do you know you’re getting the good stuff? Pay attention to the rating system shown on your jar of Mānuka Honey. Comvita uses UMF™ certification (Unique Mānuka Factor), the only independently verified rating system that measures all four of Mānuka’s unique chemical markers and guarantees potency and authenticity.

Each batch of our honey undergoes over 34 rigorous testing methods to confirm its exceptional quality, contributing to its higher price tag. UMF™ is the gold standard. Remember that only genuine Mānuka honey sourced and packaged in New Zealand is eligible for the UMF™ rating.

High UMF™ Mānuka Honey is of the utmost value… and scarce!

Logically, you might think that a UMF™ 20+ has just 33% higher levels than a UMF™ 15+, or that two UMF™ 5+ jars equal the power of a UMF™ 10+, but that’s not how it works. The rating numbers are not flatly proportional to the concentration of key quality markers.

For example, UMF™ 20+ Mānuka honey, the rarest of the rare, contains over 10 times the levels of methylglyoxal (MGO) compared to UMF™ 5+. Because only a tiny fraction of honey produced each fleeting season ever reaches these exceptional concentrations, higher UMF™ grades are incredibly scarce, driving their premium price.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Mānuka Honey cost?

As a general rule, the higher the UMF™ rating, the higher the cost, reflecting its potent MGO content. At Comvita, our smallest size of authentic UMF™ 5+ Monofloral Mānuka Honey begins at $29.95 for handy on-the-go sachets, with highly concentrated batches of UMF™ 25+ going up to $645. You can find a plethora of mid-range options, too.

If you’re new to Mānuka Honey, we recommend starting with our UMF™ 10+ as a great introduction to authentic UMF™ Mānuka Honey.

What is the most expensive honey?

At Comvita, our most expensive honey is our precious UMF™ 25+ batch. It’s exceptionally potent and rare, designed for those seeking the strongest form of Mānuka Honey on the market. The high MGO rating makes it one of the most potent and rare honeys produced, valued for its high MGO levels and exceptional purity. 

Is Mānuka Honey worth the price?

So, is Mānuka Honey worth it? We certainly think so! Produced under uniquely challenging conditions and tested to the highest standards, Mānuka Honey is regarded worldwide for its rarity and purity Just make sure you’re getting the genuine stuff before making a purchase. 

How is Mānuka Honey different from regular honey?

Mānuka Honey not only tastes uniquely delicious, but it’s also naturally rich in antibacterial and antioxidant compounds that set it apart from normal honey.

While all honeys provide energy and nutrients, Mānuka’s unique composition makes it a premium choice for those looking to support their overall wellbeing as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

How can I tell if Mānuka honey is real?

Authenticity is everything when it comes to Mānuka Honey. Genuine Mānuka Honey has nothing to hide, so always keep an eye out for the UMF™ label, which confirms that the specific batch has been through a comprehensive testing process that assesses MGO levels, Leptosperin, DHA, and HMF and is deemed genuine. 

Genuine Mānuka Honey is priceless

Mānuka Honey’s remarkable qualities, from its unique natural compounds to its reliance on honey bees, fleeting flowering season, rugged New Zealand origins, and rigorous testing, help explain why this golden elixir is so rare and valuable.

At Comvita, we’re proud to honour that rarity by offering the world’s most trusted and authentic Mānuka Honey. Every jar carries the UMF™ certification, giving you confidence that it’s genuine, pure, and of exceptional quality.

Find your perfect Mānuka match and experience the gold standard in Mānuka Honey.