Honey factory opened

A honey factory that has just opened in Masterton has capacity to serve 10,000 hives and produce 300 tonnes of honey, its part-owner and manager Peter Ferris said yesterday.
The $600,000 facility can produce and purify manuka honey up to medical grade according to European Union standards, which is "able to be exported anywhere in the world", Mr Ferris said.
The honey company, Wairarapa Manuka Ltd, is jointly owned by Mr Ferris and his wife Judi, Lotte and Andrew Raynor and Mo and Jenny Diedrich - with a major shareholding by processing and exporting company Manuka Health.
Mr Ferris, who has 30 years experience beekeeping in Wairarapa, said with the factory "in full swing" it would keep 30 people in employment - two or three processing the honey and the rest as beekeepers.
Keepers are either employed directly by Wairarapa Manuka or supply from their own hives, and another service the company has begun to provide is managing other people's hives for them.
A strong partnership between beekeepers and farmers was also key to the company's success, Mr Ferris said.
That partnership was celebrated at the official launch of the
factory on Friday, with many agriculturalists among the beekeepers present.
"We wanted our farmers there; the support we've had from them has been essential.
"It's true that they need our pollination, but we certainly need them to place our hives," Mr Ferris said.
"And they're excited about it. We sent out 150 invitations and 150 came."
Guests included Wairarapa MP John Hayes, Carterton Mayor Gary McPhee, and Hunua MP Paul Hutchison, who chairs the Government's health committee.
Mr Ferris' business partner, Kerry Paul, told guests that manuka honey has a big future.
"We expect over the next five to 10 years, this will become an extremely important industry for New Zealand.
"International markets are
only now starting to realise why this honey is special," Mr Paul
said.
"It is in fact a mistake to call it a honey because it is really a low-cost medicine."