About Us

100% Pure New Zealand Honey From Mount Bruce

Nestled at the base of the Tararua ranges in New Zealand's North Island, our bees forage on expanses of uncultivated Manuka Trees. Surrounded by Native Forest from the mountain ranges and Pukaha Mount Bruce Conservation Reserve.

The Ruamahunga river runs from the ranges and through our land providing fresh mountain water for our bees. Our family run business cares for the bees and harvests this quality NZ honey. A taste of gold. This is natures gold nectar. Because we are a small family business, we can guarantee the origin of your honey. We know this because we produced it ourselves, unlike the bigger NZ Manuka honey companies who buy a lot of their honey from many different honey producers.

We have a genuine love for our bees and this transfers to a quality product that we can present to you with immense pride. We know we produce an amazing product. One that we want to share with others.

Certifications & Compliance – Mountain Gold Honey

At Mountain Gold Honey, quality, safety, and authenticity are at the heart of everything we do. Our honey is naturally pure, laboratory-tested, and internationally certified, giving you confidence in every jar.

We take pride in adhering to the highest standards of food safety, export compliance, and product integrity, ensuring our honeys meet rigorous local and global requirements.

FDA Certified & Approved Premises

Our facilities are FDA-certified and approved, allowing us to export our products to the United States of America (USA).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for protecting public health through the regulation of food safety.

By maintaining FDA certification, Mountain Gold Honey guarantees:

  • Compliance with U.S. food safety regulations

  • Hygienic and safe production processes

  • Export-ready, high-quality New Zealand honey

Halal Certification

All Mountain Gold Honey products are Halal-certified, ensuring they meet the dietary and ethical requirements of our global customers.

This certification confirms that our honey is:

  • Produced and processed under Halal-compliant conditions

  • Safe for consumption by communities observing Halal dietary laws

RMP (Registered Management Programme) Certification

Our production and packing facilities operate under a New Zealand MPI-approved RMP (Registered Management Programme).

This ensures that every batch of honey:

  • Meets New Zealand export standards

  • Is traceable from hive to jar

  • Maintains consistent quality and safety

UMF™ Certification (Manuka Honey Only)

UMF™ (Unique Manuka Factor) is an internationally recognized quality standard for New Zealand Manuka Honey.

Every batch of Mountain Gold UMF™ Manuka Honey is independently tested to measure three signature compounds:

  • Methylglyoxal (MGO)

  • Dihydroxyacetone (DHA)

  • Leptosperin

This guarantees:

  • Authentic New Zealand Manuka Honey

  • Verified potency and antibacterial activity

  • Laboratory-tested purity and quality

GMP Certification

Our facilities follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ensuring:

  • Safe and hygienic handling of all products

  • Consistent quality across every jar

  • Compliance with both local and international standards

Export Compliance

Mountain Gold Honey meets international export standards, allowing us to ship to countries worldwide. We hold individual country listings for:

  • Europe

  • England

  • Saudi Arabia

  • China

  • USA (FDA certified)

Additional listings, such as Indonesia, are pending approval.

Why Choose Mountain Gold Honey?

  • 100% Pure, Natural New Zealand Honey

  • Laboratory-tested and quality-assured

  • Produced under Halal, RMP, GMP, FDA, and UMF™ standards

  • Traceable, export-ready, and globally trusted

At Mountain Gold, we combine nature’s finest honey with world-class certification and compliance, delivering products you can trust and enjoy.

From the Owners

Debbie Keil
MSC, DipSci Human Nutrition Otago University

After 5 years at the university of Otago University studying Human Nutrition I returned to my home town of Masterton (Wairarapa) , New Zealand. Together with my family I purchased a 950 acre farm just north of Masterton at Mount Bruce. After farming the property for several years we caught two wild bee swarms. Little did we know then that this would be the beginning of a passion for bees and Honey. I learned how to bee keep and am self taught.

From the Owners

Freddi Keil

The first kept bees on our farm were brought to our property by a long time friend of mine about 20 years ago. It was these bees that swarmed, and were caught by my daughter Debbie. This started my shared interest in bees with my daughter. Debbie kept the bees and I made the equipment until she started her family. I then took over the hive keeping for a few years while the children were babies. We then worked together with me making boxes, bases and other hive ware from unwanted wooden pallets.

Our Bees

The health of our bees is very important to us. We genuinely care for the bees, and provide the best for them. Many of our hives are over wintered off farm. This is because the higher altitude of our farm means more rain, and a few degrees colder than down on the flats of the Wairarapa.

During late spring the bees are returned to the property, and enjoy the diversity the forest pollen and nectar sources have to offer before the Manuka flowers. At the end of the manuka flowering season the honey is removed from the hives. The bees are left to gather nectar and pollen from other flower sources for the autumn, before again being returned to winter sites.

Our Bees


Manuka

New Zealand MANUKA (Leptospermum scoparium) is a scrub like bush or small tree growing 2-5 meters tall that flowers on our property in Summer, between Late November to early February. It is evergreen, with dense branching and small leaves. The flowers are small, white (with a little red in the center) and very delicate. Found throughout New Zealand, but more commonly on the drier east coasts of the North and South Islands. Manuka is one of the first native bushes to naturally regenerate, regrowing on farm land once clear felled by the early settlers.

On our property, all the manuka is uncultivated. It is naturally generated from seeds that have laid dormant in the farm land for many many years. Where grass land was once grazed by stock, acres of manuka bushes cover the mountain side. Maori ancestors used Manuka for medicinal purposes. They drank the infusion of Manuka bark, capsules and seed. Or, applied the infusion externally for pain relief for burns, wounds and other infections. Kakariki parakeets use the leaves and bark of Manuka to rid themselves of parasites. They either chew the leaves and bark, or mix it with preen gland oil and apply it to their feathers.

Manuka

 

Manuka Honey

Our Manuka honey is an amber colour, and contains methylglyoxal (MG). Manuka Honey is markedly viscous, having the highest viscosity among a range of honey. Manuka honey has a strong flavour, characterised as ‘earthy, oily, herbaceous’ and ‘florid, rich, and complex’. It has also been described as having a “damp earth, heather, aromatic’ aroma and a “mineral, slightly bitter” flavour. Manuka honey is not only used to eat, it has also been used on wounds as a dressing, and in the cosmetic industry. We measure Methyglyoxal using an independent laboratory, so that we can guarantee our product and the Methylglyoxal level.

Manuka Honey

 

Independent Manuka Honey Testing

We have every batch of our honey independently tested for many parameters to ensure it meets all the New Zealand Export standards. Of these tests, we present just the important information to you on every pot. Methylglyoxal is measured in mg/kg of MGO (methylglyoxal). Methylglyoxal (MGO) is one of the key compounds naturally occurring in New Zealand Manuka Honey. It is found in levels of at least 50mg/kg in Manuka honey but in other honey is only found in levels of 0-5 mg/kg). We guarantee all our manuka honey is New Zealand Manuka Honey.

Every batch of UMF™ Mountain Gold Manuka Honey undergoes testing and must pass the standard for us to be able to display the UMF logo on our pots. This mark is independently monitored for quality, purity and authenticity by the UMF® Honey Association (UMFHA). The UMF® number indicates the level of the unique Manuka properties within the honey. As well as regular monitoring, the UMFHA also conducts random sampling to ensure Manuka honey carrying the UMF® mark is true to label.

Only the UMF® testing process measures all three signature compounds, Methylglyoxal, DHA, and Leptosperin. These together indicate the purity, quality, and test for authentic, Manuka honey.

Please see www.umf.org.nz for further information on the grading system and UMF® quality mark.

Independent Manuka Honey Testing