Single Origin honey is honey made by honeybee’s from one region. When honey from different regions is blended together, taste and colour distinction are impossible to discern.

Fans of single origin honey realise that region makes a huge difference to the taste, texture and colour of the honey. Factored in too is variations in temperature and humidity that affects the character or terroir of the honey.

Single origin honeys are superior in that they are purer than the alternative blended honey. Honey that comes from one location has a more intense and focused flavour profile than blended honeys.

The source the bees collect the honey from also makes a big difference to the honey profile. No two varietals are the same, each bears its own distinct profile of flavour, colour and texture based on what flower the bee visited on its honey making mission.

The average mass market honey is blended and extensively processed to achieve uniform character that is consistently sweet light and generic.

But in the world of pure mono-floral varietals, sweet and light are only part of the story. Flavours range from delicately sweet to full bodied and bitter with a broad spectrum of profiles in between rivalling olive oils and fine wines in their variety and complexity.

The same breadth occurs in appearance. Honey colours span a rainbow of gold and amber hues. Textures range from runny to creamy. The rareness and unusualness of many mono floral honeys brings another layer of cachet to the category.

At J.Friend and Co: NZ Artisan Honey, we search out passionate small artisan beekeepers, producing exceptional tasting honey. We then label our honey with the region, varietal and season that it was collected. This makes our honey a true ‘single origin honey’.