Iconic Taupo business Huka Honey Hive celebrates 25th birthday

Established in 1993, Huka Honey Hive started as a small shop selling locally-sourced artisan honey. It’s since grown into a full-scale tourist attraction with over 250,000 visitors a year, and houses the largest showcase of honey and honey-inspired products in the country. This year marks its 25th anniversary. 

Huka Honey Hive is located in Great Lake Taupo, just minutes from Huka Falls, New Zealand’s most visited natural attraction. The township is a thriving tourism destination where people can experience one of the world’s most unique and picturesque areas. Many businesses are seeing significant growth as part of Taupo’s thriving economy - close to 1.3 million visitors to the area help drive economic success by directly spending half a billion dollars in the region every year.

Reflecting on the success of the last 25 years, owners Blair Matheson and Dawn Jansen have announced it’s time to retire. They’ve sold the business to Mark and Jo Saville, two Kiwis who recently returned from living offshore with experience in operating tourism and retail businesses. 

Blair says it was a very sentimental send-off, “it’s been an amazing journey over the last 25 years, when Dawn and I first opened the Huka Honey Hive it was the first business of its kind in New Zealand. I’d like to think we’ve always done things a bit differently with our love of people and desire to do the best we can, along with our passion for sustainability, and I think that’s been key to our success.”

Blair says he wants every person that walks into the store, visits the website, or follows them on social media to understand their passion for all things related to bees and honey, and encourages them to also adopt bee-friendly practices in their own lives.

“When customers visit our store they’re not just visiting a retail shop, they’re getting the whole honey bee experience. This means we’re not just about selling products, we’re passionate about telling the story behind our suppliers, including how a company improves the welfare of bees and sources their local and natural ingredients.”

Not only are bees important for sustainability, but also the economy. New Zealand’s bee population contributes about $5 billion to the economy annually. The country’s mānuka honey (of which Huka Honey Hive has an extensive range) is some of the highest valued honey in the world.

Both Mark and Jo are excited to be able to carry on the success of the business and passion for sustainability. 

“We’re keen to continue the legacy Dawn and Blair have built over the last 25 years. Together with the Honey Hive team, we plan to retain that winning formula, but we’re also excited about starting with a fresh approach.

“Huka Honey Hive’s mission is to save the planet, one bee at a time, and we’re definitely going to keep that mission at the forefront of everything we do.” 

For more information visit www.hukahoneyhive.com

About Huka Honey Hive 

Huka Honey Hive has the largest showcase of honey and honey-inspired products in New Zealand. Delicious honey and mead tasting is just one reason tourists and locals visit. Customers can view bees in glass hives, indulge in gourmet honey ice cream, and sample skincare and wellness products. 

Core to the business is sustainability and the welfare of bees. They provide a bee-friendly environment, encourage the community and visitors to learn how to support healthy bee populations, and source beautiful and sustainable bee and honey based products from companies which actively improve the welfare of bees.