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Yes, Forest Fresh is a Western Australian owned and operated family business. Our family have been involved in the WA beekeeping industry for over 100 years, so we have a good knowledge of the local apiary industry. We have strong scientific expertise, essential to understand the biology of the local native flora and the chemistry of the unique honeys derived from them. We also have a strong e-commerce background, so understand the importance and value of customer experience and service.
We utilise our expertise to source a selected range of Active honeys from the best Beekeepers in WA and supply it, pure, raw and natural directly to you.
Jarrah honey is a rare, bioactive honey from the south western region of Australia. It is known as liquid gold and as a healing honey, due to its incredible beneficial properties. These include having very strong, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, having an incredibly low GI, prebiotic rich and packed full of antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals. It rivals and often exceeds Manuka with all of its incredible natural properties. Learn more about Jarrah honey here.
Learn more about Jarrah Honey on this page here.
Learn all about Total Activity in Honey on this page here.
Although both honeys contain incredible properties, Jarrah honey offers a wider range of benefits and typically for a lower price than Manuka honey. Learn more about Jarrah Honey vs Manuka Honey on this page here.
Raw honey has almost the same composition as honey in a beehive. Raw honey is not heat treated (pasteurised) or ultra-filtered. Heating and filtering honey remove all of the beneficial natural substances plus changes the chemistry of some of the sugars.
Extracting honey from the comb does remove some volatile aromatic compounds, so it you want to know the true taste of honey, try some honeycomb.
All of our honey is sourced from WA’s pristine native forests and rangelands, far removed from industry and chemicals, so it is pure, raw, and natural. All of our selected beekeepers must have an operation that is capable of Organic Certification, but we do not require that they incur the steep cost of such certification. We purchase based on quality, not certification. We have the expertise to screen the honey we source to ensure that Forest Fresh is only the best quality.
Forest Fresh are experts in Jarrah honey. Our selection is based on the Jarrah Factor (JF), a value calculated with a proprietary formula that uses compositional analytical data as inputs. The higher the value, the stronger the unique Jarrah honey properties such as low GI, prebiotic strength, resistance to crystallization and more.
The Jarrah Factor, in conjunction with the assayed Total Activity (TA), tells us what honey is suitable for our Jarrah ranges, including the Jarrah Platinum TA50+ range.
A unique property of good Jarrah honey is a very strong resistance to crystallization. We are so confident that our Jarrah Factor selects only the best Jarrah honey, we offer an industry first Crystallization Free Guarantee*.
If you would like to learn even more about the Jarrah Factor or our selection process, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
*Please see below T&C’s of this offer.
Learn more about Total Activity here.
As part of our unique screening process and in depth analysis of the honey, we are able to offer a world first Crystallization Free Guarantee on our Jarrah Honey. This is possible due to the unique properties within our high quality Jarrah honey, and the data we collect that informs us of the honey's resistance to crystallization. The terms of the Crystallization Free Guarantee are:
- Applies to Forest Fresh Jarrah Honey of TA 30+ and over.
- Applies to unopened jars of Jarrah Honey. Once a jar has been opened, the guarantee can no longer be sustained due to possible cross contamination of other products.
- Applies to Jarrah Honey stored following the storage guidelines; a cool dark place.
- Valid until the ‘Best Before’ date supplied on the packaging.
Total Activity (TA) is the bacterial and fungal killing scale of honey. The bigger the value, the more bacteria (and fungus) the honey can potentially kill. Values above TA10 deliver beneficial properties, while values of, or above TA30+ are exceptional and have great health benefits. It is often compared to the MGO rating of Manuka honey.
Jarrah honey with TA35+ if comparable to Manuka honey with MGO 2000+. For more information on this, please see this page here.
Many supermarket honeys are not pure, raw and/ or natural Australian honeys. They are often heat treated, or blended. Supermarket honey is often made from a mix of local and imported honey, including from China, where it is made in factory like conditions. The honey may also have been collected in agricultural areas, meaning it may have been contaminated by various chemicals or pesticides.
All of our honey is pure, raw, natural and rare from Western Australia. There are smaller quantities available of the honeys we stock, more precise and complicated processes for extracting in the forests and testing, and much stronger medicinal properties as a result of all of these factors.
No, our honey is not pasteurised or ultra-filtered. Honey can’t be described as “Raw” if it has been pasteurised.
Pasteurising honey to kill microbes involves heating to 60 or 70℃, then rapid cooling. Any honey imported into Western Australia must be pasteurised to prevent introduction of the nasty diseases that are not present in the state, which is why you should, where possible, purchase Western Australian honey.
Ultra-filtration is a high-tech procedure where honey is heated, sometimes watered down and then forced at high pressure through extremely small filters to remove all the natural fine particles in honey (pollen, wax and propolis). The purpose is to either conceal the origin of the honey (by removing the pollen) or to impede the crystallization process that happens naturally in most honeys.
No. Here in Western Australia, we use a species of bee that loves to make honey, and our native flora provides much more nectar than the bees need for the small amount of honey they want to store over winter or to feed growing juveniles. We harvest honey during spring and summer when there is an abundant supply, so it does not cause them any harm at all.
WA beekeepers also typically move their bees in winter to the coastal woodlands where trees like Banksia continue to produce nectar throughout the colder months. The bees forage this nectar and pollen during the warmer days when they can leave the hive, providing them with an additional source of food.
No, Forest Fresh only sells pure raw Western Australian honey.
We work with a range of beekeepers in Western Australia. Some are our relatives. We work with multi generation beekeepers as we believe beekeeping is a profession that requires generational participation and expertise to ensure the best hive sites in the forest, bee husbandry and extraction methods.
The honey is collected from native forests and rangelands in the south of Western Australia. We never buy honey collected from urban, agricultural or industrial areas as this honey can contain nasty chemicals or pollution.
There are a few key reasons why Western Australia is superior in honey production.
- Superior Terroir: Unique combination of highly evolved trees growing in pristine native forests and very harsh soils and climate. Forest Fresh accredited beekeepers have access to quality forest sites, which are important for premium honey production.
- Healthy, strong, productive bees suited to local conditions: over 20 years of selective breeding of apis mellifera on Rottnest Island.
- No chemicals used to maintain hive health, or agricultural crops or silvicultural forests visited.
- An absolute commitment to sustainable honey production.
Honey stored in a moisture-proof container at room temperature can last for an indefinite period. However, packaged honey must have a best before date, and we recommend consuming the honey before this date.
Most honeys will crystallise if stored for a long time, but his does not affect the quality of the honey.
Crystallisation (locally known as candying) is a natural process where honey converts from a liquid to a semi-solid state. The crystals are of glucose, one to the two major sugars in honey (the other being fructose). The glucose precipitates as small crystals around particles like pollen or wax. The rate at which candying occurs is determined mostly by the fructose to glucose (F/G) ratio; the lower the ratio (more glucose) the faster honey will candy.
A few rare honeys like Jarrah have an F/G ratio high to prevent (or significantly slow) candying. But most raw honey (including Marri and Karri) will candy over time.
If you want to return it to a liquid, you just need to re-dissolve the glucose crystals. The best way is to put the jar of honey into a container of warm water (no more than 45°C) and heat and stir gently till the crystals melt. The honey will start to melt when it reaches about 35°C. But be careful not to heat above 45 oC, as many of the beneficial enzymes and other constituents in raw honey will begin to degrade at higher temperatures.
If you are in a hurry, you can use a microwave. Microwave the open jar of honey in 10 second bursts, stirring between each burst. But be very careful as the honey will heat up very quickly.
We recommend trying some of the candied honey before you melt it. Varieties like Karri are very nice in candied form.
The colour and flavour of honey is determined by the blend of sugars, carbohydrates and the many natural substances in the nectar from the floral source. Honey will also darken as it ages.
The thickness of honey is determined mostly by the water content. Our honey is very thick because our dry climate yields a moisture content of only 15-17% . Honey from cold or humid climates contain up to 20% water, and so are much less viscous.
Western Australian honeys are a great source of prebiotics. They contain oligosaccharides and other complex carbohydrates which the good bacteria utilise to make nutrients that are beneficial for good gut health.
Jarrah honey is a very good prebiotic as it promotes production of higher concentrations of Butyric Acid (BTA) compared to other honey varieties. BTA is a saturated, short-chain fatty acid which has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Consumption of foods with a high concentration of BTA is linked to a lowered risk of colon cancer.
As our honey is bioactive honey, it is best to have it as natural and raw as possible to maintain all the health benefits and properties. We suggest eating it off the spoon, drizzled over cereal, fruit or natural yoghurt, in marinades, smoothies, raw desserts and dressings or as a sweetener in drinks. Jarrah honey can also be used to soothe the symptoms of a sore throat*, before and after endurance activities, and for the skin*.
You can find inspiration for recipes on our blog here.
*Please consult with your Physician before taking any new ingredients that may affect you.
It is recommended that babies under 12 months old are not given honey. Some fungal spores can survive in honey, so there is a very small risk of contracting infant botulism. Older children and adults are not affected by the spores as their gut has developed sufficiently to destroy them. It is best to seek the advice of your medical practitioner if you are concerned.
Yes we do. Please fill in all of your postage address details at check out, and we will determine the international shipping options and fees. Please note, free shipping on orders over $100 is only available in Australia.
If your order is over $100 standard postage within Australia is free. This will be automatically applied at checkout.
We are a small team so ask for 3 to 5 working days to pack your order, and ship via Australia Post. Please see Australia Posts standard shipping times on the Australia Post website here. Shipping for large orders will take longer. For specific timings, please enquire through this page or by emailing contact@forestfreshhoney.com.au
Yes, you can opt in to collect your order from our fulfilment centre in Bentley, Perth. Select this as an option when checking out online, and you will be notified when your order is ready for collection.
As this is a food product, we cannot accept returns on our honey due to a change of mind. If your product has arrived faulty, however, please take a photo of it and send to contact@forestfreshhoney.com.au and one of the team will be able to assist.
Yes, we offer wholesale Forest Fresh and OEM orders. Please enquire through our wholesale page on this website, or by emailing us at contact@forestfreshhoney.com.au
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