ACTIVIST - real Manuka honey from free wild collection
Wild bees in New Zealand produce the Manuka honey for ACTIVIST
The hives of the bees that produce the precious Manuka honey for ACTIVIST are located in pristine and remote regions of New Zealand. This is extremely important and beneficial to the health of the bees, as these places are free of GMOs and urban toxins. Gabrielle and Luke are sensitive to keeping a small number of hives in close proximity to each other, as they do not want to overpopulate the areas to produce the healthy Manuka honey. Again, the focus is on keeping the bees comfortable and healthy, and also that pollination and harvesting is done in an ethical and completely defensible manner. The founders of ACTIVIST see "their" bees as their local heroes and their health and population as true environmental indicators of life in the wild.
What is special about Manuka honey and where it comes from
The Mānuka tree itself is a highly sustainable tree and plays a key role in the overall structure of New Zealand's native broadleaf trees and important plant layers. The Mānuka tree helps to supply and revitalize the soil with minerals, while also acting as a natural purifier for water bodies and preventing soil erosion. Bees pollinate the Mānuka flowers and the tree self-seeds, rapidly growing new undergrowth year after year. In this way, a profoundly natural cycle can take its course in a protected way, in the case of ACTIVIST, enriching nature and animals alike.
Mānuka honey is one of the most unique and beneficial forms of honey in the world. In 1981, researchers at New Zealand's Waikato University discovered that Mānuka honey has a significantly higher enzyme content than normal honey. In the process they identified the Active ingredient of Mānuka, methylglyoxal (MGO) - as a measurable concentration that determines the effectiveness of honey. Overall effect Mānuka Strong anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antimicrobial, which makes it a great addition to any wellness routine and natural health pharmacy. Mānuka honey helps with burns and wounds, promoting digestion, oral and throat health, in the treatment of acne, eczema and repair of irritated or injured skin. It strengthens the immune system, promotes the general health of the skin and even has anti-aging effect, because the MGO contained in Mānuka honey protects the skin's own collagen and promotes its regeneration. At North Glow from 50 to 1000 MGO available.
Harvesting the Mānuka oil is another sustainable part of our process with no conservation issues, as Mānuka is a wild resource and grows freely and abundantly in New Zealand. The leaves used to distill our oil are put back into the ground after harvesting, creating a mulch layer for the soil. This mulch retains moisture, encourages new growth, and serves as a breeding ground for bugs and insects - all of which bring life and richness back to the soil.
About the founders of ACTIVIST
Activist was founded by Gabrielle Mirkin and her husband Luke Harwood. Their shared passion for the earth and its flora and fauna, as well as for natural products (such as Manuka honey), goes back to their childhood in New Zealand.
Luke's love of surfing and New Zealand's native coastal landscape led him to understand the important role bees (and precious Manuka honey) play in nature and its living cycle. This was the catalyst for him to launch ACTIVIST. Gabrielle's time in New York City, working as Senior Art Director at Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, led to an urgent need to slow down. She became yearning to discover and pursue new interests outside of the fast-paced world of fashion and its publications. Gabrielle's love for health that allows people to shine and be strong from within based on their self-healing abilities, as well as her belief in natural healing methods and foods, was her impetus for developing ACTIVIST.
