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Complete & Sustainable Use of Our Valued Resources
Here at New Zealand Mānuka Group we pay special attention to the way our resources are utilised to minimise waste and maximise sustainability. It is through this approach that our core resources, the Mānuka tree and seaweed collected from our coastlines, are used and valued to their fullest potential.
Based right here in our processing facility and head office, we are lucky enough to have a team of scientists who are dedicated to not only ensuring we bring the highest quality products to our customers. They are also able to help us tap into new opportunities which become available through the bi-product of our processing activities.
Zero Waste is Good for Business
One example of how we take full advantage of our Mānuka plants is seen through the creation of our KōLUSH Garden Mulch products. To produce our powerful MβTK Mānuka oil range, we harvest the tops of our Mānuka trees, extract the oil from the brush and what is left is a Mānuka mulch still rich in nutrients which has been pressed down to a fibrous mix perfect for the garden.
The way we go about producing pharmaceutical grade Agar has given us another incredible resource which is now being added to a number of other products in our business. Agar comes from dried and processed pterocladia (red) seaweed. We collect this seaweed by hand and using tractors along the coastlines where it is washed up by the tide.
The collected seaweed is then brought back to our factory in either Marterson or Opotiki where sorters separate the pterocladia needed for producing Agar. To make full use of this valuable resource, our team of scientists looked into the profile and attributes of the brown and green seaweed bi-catch. They have now identified that these seaweeds also have their own unique combination of nutrients which are very beneficial across a wide range of applications.
As the result of our seaweed collection activities, we now produce KōBEE Bee Nutrition, we have a Mānuka+Seaweed KōLUSH Garden Mulch and we are about to launch our new range of plant & soil nutrition products which will all be branded as KōFERT.
Sustainability Goes Beyond Waste Management
However, we are also constantly reviewing and assessing our activities and potential environmental impact right back to the land. From ensuring our staff carpool where possible, to using technology, to planting and caring for the land; we have the greatest respect for the native resources available to us here in New Zealand and want to ensure we have access to this for generations to come.
For more on our Sustainability activities, check out our Sustainability section here.