Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Comvita increases honey production capacity

Updated at 6:25 am on 24 May 2012

Comvita has increased its production capacity as demand for its manuka honey medical products continues to grow.

The natural products company made $8.2 million in the year to the end of March, compared with $500,000 in the previous year and a 17% increase in revenue.

In the past year the company has acquired a Waikato bee-keeping operation, commissioned a new medical honey extraction facility in Northland and taken steps to expand its home base at Paengaroa in the Bay of Plenty.

Comvita has boosted its honey production capacity by about 45%.

Chairman Neil Craig says it will continue to build on that and the company has made a number of acquisitions around supply, new product range and controlling its channels to the market.

He says Comvita is now trying to diversify its product range and increase its product range into those channels.

Mr Craig says Comvita is increasing its sales through the internet and has added the US to its export markets.

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