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How a high-grade Manuka honey is saving the oceans

New Zealand is a country where scenery is king, nature is abundant and the culture is captivating. Most of all, it is home to liquid gold.

Harvested from the country’s wild Manuka trees, the liquid gold Manuka Royale honey is one of New Zealand’s most exclusive treasures. This high-grade honey is distinct, not just in taste, but in its unique range of nutrient and wellness properties – including scientifically-proven antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects. All this and more is what is already benefitting the customers of the award-winning Manuka Royale, a brand that has come from notably humble beginnings.

15m sailing catamaran Imagine owned by Manuka Royale's founders

Manuka Royale’s story and connection to the yachting world started five years ago when founder Elena Brambilla, a former Italian high jump champion, and her husband Wojtek Czyz, four-time Paralympic champion and freediving world record holder, took a career break to circumnavigate the world on their luxurious 15-metre sailing catamaran Imagine from the award-winning brand Xquisite Yachts. The journey took the pair to New Zealand where their affinity for the country was born – one so strong that they emigrated and launched Manuka Royale.

Elena’s educational background in science and nature included a long and keen interest in honey. After researching the honey industry in New Zealand, she saw a chance to make a higher grade of Manuka honey, one that respects the natural environment and communities and preserves the nutrient content in a sustainable way. “It’s the only food that is produced without killing any other plant or animal,” she said. “Creating Manuka Royale has been an exciting journey, and I have been able to draw on my science background for product quality and my experiences as an athlete to find the stamina to develop the products and get them to the market.”

Company founder Elena Brambilla

Although there are many types of Manuka honey in the market, Manuka Royale and its Unique Mānuka Factor (UMF™) purity grading are in a class of their own. This difference starts with location, as Manuka Royale honey is harvested from small local farms in the wildest and most pristine areas of New Zealand where the soil mineral content is rich. The result is healthy honey with a higher number of nutritional, immune-boosting qualities that comes with an enhanced brown and creamy colour with a unique, slightly bitter, earthy taste.

Another key difference is the way Manuka Royale minimises any processing of the raw product. The company controls every step of the production to ensure its honey comes with quality, integrity and as many beneficial active ingredients as possible. The process also covers the Manuka Royale supply chain and workforce. “Working with people who love their job and take pride in their craft is an important core value of the company,” said Elena, who is proud of the firm’s “heart-crafted approach”. “When we started the brand, I wanted to help New Zealand’s small communities and beekeepers,” she said.

“The next step was to ensure that the packaging used was not virgin plastics so we can help eliminate pollutants from the ocean,” added Elena. To reduce the company’s environmental footprint, Manuka Royale jars are made from recycled plastic collected from the Indian Ocean. “While travelling around the world, there wasn’t a day where I didn’t see a vast amount of plastic in the ocean. It was an easy decision to want to create packaging that is taken out from the ocean and recycled,” Elena continued.

Manuka honey can be used for everything from facial cleansing and skincare, to baking and home cooking
Try Manuka Royale in recipes for fruit pies, truffle hummus, matcha lattes and smoothies

Despite being a new company, the efforts of Manuka Royale has not gone unnoticed and the team were recently awarded “Best Honey in the World” by the internationally acclaimed Luxury Lifestyle Award. Now sitting proudly alongside other winning brands such as Chanel, Dom Perignon and Ferrari, the company also holds a “Most Innovative Product of 2021” award from the German Healthy Living Awards for its Truffle Manuka Honey, produced with New Zealand Manuka Honey and Class 1 black Perigord Truffle.

Soon to include honey-infused teas, candles, and oils, the entire Manuka Royale honey range is certified UMF™ grade – the quality reassurance icon for Manuka honey – ranging from UMF 5+ to the top level, UMF 20+.

Priced in a way that makes the products available to all, Manuka Royale products are available to the global yachting community through specialised delivery channels. If you would like to enjoy Manuka Royale delivered directly to your yacht, please contact the company directly here or via email sales@manukaroyale.nz to discuss a range of options, including cost-saving bulk orders.

Sponsored content created for Manuka Royale.