The expensive honey comes in a case made from American black walnut, with Italian leather lining and antique gold detailing. Photo / Manuka South
While most New Zealanders can pick up a jar of mānuka honey at the supermarket for under $20, one producer is selling its offering at one of London’s most prestigious department stores for £2000 ($4600) a pop.
Customers had been making a beeline to Harrods of London to buy the “world’s most luxurious” New Zealand-made mānuka honey, the Daily Mail reported.
The company behind the product is Manuka South, which produces the honey from hives in the South Island. The company says its honey is matured over 1400 days, and undergoes more than 100 laboratory tests to ensure its quality and potency.
The honey on sale at Harrods is presented in a handcrafted American black walnut case with Italian leather lining, antique gold detailing and laser-engraved crystal viewing windows, while the recycled glass jar comes with a dust bag and a booklet signed by the founders.
The company claims on its website it is “the most luxurious mānuka honey in the world”.
Harrods’ head pharmacist Sarina Mughal told the Daily Mail it’s one of the store’s best-selling honeys.
“We’ve had weeks where we’ve sold between six and 10 jars, and these are all repeat customers.”
Honey sommelier Helen Rogers told the Daily Mail the Manuka South jar contained “extreme” levels of methylglyoxal, a key antibacterial compound.
Rogers, who is also secretary of the Honey Guild of the United Kingdom, said she was not convinced mānuka variants were greatly superior to her local honey.
“It definitely is superior on wounds ... Most people probably wouldn’t enjoy it. It’s got quite a medicinal flavour.”
The extreme price of the honey has attracted influencers, too.
Luxury food YouTuber Carmie Sellitto bought a jar and drizzled the honey on a £1.45 ($3.30) Greggs sausage roll.
He said the combination “surprisingly, really worked”, adding, “either that or I was just convincing myself because I spent so much money on it”.
He eventually rated it 10 out of 10.