New Zealand premium honey producer, Guilds of High Peak Estate, has partnered with the United Arab Emirates’ premium honey retailer, Balqees Honey, in an exclusive supply deal to export its honey to the Emirates.

During the launch at Balqees’ Dubai Mall honey kiosk, Balqees’ owner, Riath Hamed, said that the Guilds of High Peak honeys are a perfect fit for the company.

“We were looking for a leading and ethical New Zealand premium honey producer capable of supplying the best honeys from New Zealand. Raw honeys that contain all the pure goodness that come from this beautifully unspoilt country. The Guilds of High Peak range delivers just that,” he said.

Riath Hamed confirmed that he travelled to New Zealand earlier this year to find the best honey for his customers in the UAE.

“The estate that the Guilds produce their honey from is singularly beautiful and remote, nestled in the base of the Alps on New Zealand’s South Island. It is so remote, the bees can only forage on pristine alpine and sub-alpine land untouched by commercial agriculture. The countryside on the estate is spectacular with the cleanest air you can imagine. You can even drink straight from the alpine streams that run through the property. It’s bee bliss,” he said.

Guilds of High Peak Head Apiarist, Tom Dunbar, said that his operation is focused on quality rather than quantity, and the opportunity to exclusively supply Balqees fitted with his vision for producing premium honeys using sustainable and ethical production techniques that look after the bees while maintaining the integrity of the honey.

“We produce three varieties of honey at High Peak Estate – Black Beech Honeydew, Manuka and Clover. While New Zealand is probably best known for its production of Manuka Honey, this isn’t the first variety Riath wanted for his UAE-wide outlets. Riath encouraged us to focus initially on our Raw Black Beech Honeydew which will now be available to Balqees’ customers across the UAE,” he commented.

Tom Dunbar says that the next shipment to arrive to Balqees will be High Peak Estate’s Manuka Honey, due in the country in about 12 weeks’ time to complement the Black Beech Honeydew released today.

“We’re also looking at supplying Balqees with a blend of Black Beech Honeydew and Manuka Honey but rather than blending the varieties by hand, we’ll simply move the hives from the Black Beech to the stands of Manuka and allow the bees to blend it themselves in the hive,” he said.

Balqees’ customers can see more of High Peak’s honey operations at www.onlyfromnz.co.nz and should keep an eye on the Balqees’ website at www.balqees.com for more details.