Project Overview
In 2026 MiDeer engaged with two New Zealand mānuka honey companies — kept anonymous on this page — on the subject of China. We met and talked with each company and gave it our guidance on approaching the Chinese market, and the engagement produced one deliverable that can be checked rather than merely claimed: the New Zealand Mānuka Honey: China Market Research Report, a 2025 market analysis with data verification published on The MiDeer Observer in July 2026 and open to public inspection. This case describes the work as it happened — no volumes, no signings, no conquered-market claims.
The Brief
Both companies were weighing how — and whether — to approach China. Neither was asking for slogans; both wanted the same thing: the market read as it actually is. Who is genuinely buying mānuka honey in China, and through which channels? What will regulation demand of an exporter over the next two years? How much of the “mānuka” sold in China is authentically New Zealand at all — and how does an honest brand prove it is the real thing? Those questions defined the engagement.
What We Delivered
- ▸ Discussions and China guidance. We held working discussions with both companies and gave them our guidance on entering or growing in China — positioning, channel options, compliance and realistic sequencing. Those views were delivered as professional opinions for the companies to test, not as promises of outcome.
- ▸ A verifiable deliverable: the market research report. The engagement produced the New Zealand Mānuka Honey: China Market Research Report — built around the questions both companies brought, grounded in independently checked public data (China Customs / GACC, UN Comtrade, NZX announcements and channel scans), and published openly so that its substance can be examined by anyone, including the two companies themselves.
Read the China Mānuka Honey Market Research Report →
What the Report Contains
Data as at July 2026, with every data point labelled Verified, Partially verified or Unverified. Among its findings:
- ▸ Trade landscape. China’s total honey imports rose 12.2% year on year to 3,560 tonnes in 2025. New Zealand remained the largest source, but its share slipped from 43.2% in 2024 to 40.3% (1,433 tonnes) while Australian exports to China surged 184% to 816 tonnes — the sharpest new competitive pressure on New Zealand brands.
- ▸ Competition and financials. The category leader’s China position is quantified — an estimated 54.2% share of China’s mānuka honey market in 2024 — alongside its return to profit in H1 FY26, so an entering brand can see the scale of the incumbent it is up against.
- ▸ Consumer behaviour. From 1,000+ buyer reviews: Chinese consumers buy on efficacy and gifting value, not on UMF grades — fewer than 15 reviews in 1,000+ mention a UMF grade at all.
- ▸ Regulation and compliance. GB/T 47735-2026 (General Rules for Honey Quality) takes effect 1 December 2026, and GB 7718-2025 (labelling of prepackaged foods) takes effect 16 March 2027 — the compliance dates New Zealand exporters must build toward.
The China Read — Three Realities for Mānuka Sellers
Authenticity is the whole market. Adulteration is structural, not incidental: a Shenzhen Consumer Council comparative test found 7 of 25 products labelled mānuka exceeded C4 plant-sugar limits, and industry estimates put global sales of “mānuka”-labelled honey at roughly 10,000 tonnes a year against New Zealand production of only 1,700–2,000 tonnes. Provenance and certification are therefore a brand’s best asset in China — and its largest liability.
Being “New Zealand” is no longer enough. The trade data is tightening: New Zealand’s share of Chinese honey imports is falling while Australia’s grows fast. Country of origin opens a conversation; it no longer closes a sale. Brands must be able to show authenticity, packaging compliance and channel fit.
Sell efficacy and gifting; win certification with the trade. Chinese consumers rarely shop by UMF grade — premium mānuka moves on health benefit and gift occasion. Certification, labelling and regulatory compliance are the conversations exporters must win with importers, platforms and regulators first, so the consumer story can survive contact with the supply chain.
Where Things Stand — Straightforward
What has genuinely happened: two companies received MiDeer’s China guidance in discussions during 2026, and a substantial market research report was produced as part of the engagement and published openly on The MiDeer Observer. The report itself is the verifiable record of the substance behind this case — anyone can read it in full (free registration).
What we will not claim: neither company is named, and no sales, distributor or market-entry agreements are claimed. Whether — or how — each company now moves toward China is its own commercial decision. This page will be updated only as verifiable milestones are reached — and only then.
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