"China is the largest honey producer in the world, so this is a very positive position for our brand," said Mr Coulter. "We estimate more than 60 per cent of our total sales globally to end up in the hands of a Chinese consumer."
Chairman Neil Craig said Comvita continued to be focused on growing earnings per share from the solid business base that had been established during the past 10 years.
EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and Amortisation) margin for the 15-month period was 17.1 per cent and return on capital employed was 14.3 per cent, which represented good performance growth compared to the prior year's figures of 15 per cent and 12 per cent respectively, he said.
Mr Coulter the two key building blocks of Comvita's strategy were security of supply and new product innovation.
"Over the past two years, we have used our balance sheet strength to invest aggressively in manuka UMF honey supply, and our raw honey inventory is the strongest it has been at this time of year," said Mr Coulter. "For the first time in several years, we can now look to open new markets for high-value manuka honey."