Four Weeks until Airborne National Honey Week Returns

Media Release

FOUR WEEKS UNTIL AIRBORNE NATIONAL HONEY WEEK RETURNS – NEW ZEALAND’S SWEETEST CELEBRATION

The 2015 Airborne National Honey Week is only four weeks away, kicking off on Monday 16 March. Tying in with the end of the New Zealand honey harvest, it will be a celebration of the country’s sweetest natural resource, with a particular emphasis on the versatility, quality and uniqueness of New Zealand honey varieties.

“Honey is one of New Zealand’s favourite foods, with Kiwis eating 1.65 kg of it per year, more honey per head than anyone else in the world,” says Peter Bray, Managing Director of Airborne Honey. “We also have some of the most delicious and unique honey varieties, due to New Zealand’s remote location. We would love to see more people trying the different types and incorporating honey into their lives in more varied and interesting ways. Honey can be used in marinades, dressings, sauces and baking. It can even replace the spoonful of sugar you have in your coffee with Vipers Bugloss, which has a subtle jasmine flavour. It doesn’t just have to be spread on toast.”

Among other activities, public tastings in supermarkets around the country this National Honey Week will give Kiwis the opportunity to taste the nine main varieties of New Zealand single flower honey types – Kamahi, Clover, Rata, Manuka, Honeydew, Vipers Bugloss, Rewarewa, Tawari and Thyme.

“Also, don’t forget to share your favourite honey on Twitter and the Airborne Honey Facebook page with the hashtag #NZHoneyWeek,” adds Peter. “We will be giving away a pack of six different premium monofloral honeys every day for two weeks starting on Tuesday 17 March. This is a great opportunity for people to experiment with a honey variety that they might not have tried before.”

New Zealand is home to a number of honey varieties that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Unlike most honey producing countries, New Zealand is also well known for not using antibiotics for the treatment of bee diseases. Kiwi beekeepers have the most disease free bees in the world and produce honey that is 100% natural with no sugar used or antibiotics added.

Now in its second year, National Honey Week is led by Airborne Honey, New Zealand‘s oldest and most loved honey brand. Still a family owned business, Airborne has been an integral part of the New Zealand honey industry for more than 100 years, starting with just a few hives in 1910.

This year, Airborne Honey will also be organising a series of activities to raise funds for Trees For Bees, a New Zealand research organisation dedicated to promoting bee health. Among other things, Trees for Bees encourages farmers and others to plant bee-friendly flowers, trees and shrubs to protect and support bees. As pollinators, bees are vital to the future of New Zealand farming and agriculture, with 80% of the diversity of what we eat entirely or partly dependent on pollinators. Donation boxes will be set up at National Honey Week tasting spots to collect funds.

When: 16 – 23 March 2015

Where: Nationwide

Why: To celebrate New Zealand's sweetest, world-famous natural resource. The aim is to help Kiwis learn more about the variety of unique, quality honey types our country has to offer, along with the versatility of the ingredient.

Visit www.facebook.com/Airborne Honey for recipes, meal inspiration, and honey tasting and shopping tips from the experts, along with daily competitions. Follow Airborne Honey on Twitter @AirborneHoney #NZHoneyWeek

- Ends -

© Scoop Media