When shopping for honey you may have come across words like “raw”, “unfiltered”, “pure”, “organic”. To make the best decision when buying honey, it is important to know what each of these words mean. We’ll break it down for you.

Raw: The word “raw” in honey manufacturing refers to the lack of heat treatment beyond point of pasteurization (no higher than 118 degrees F or 47.8 degrees C). Heating honey to high temperatures kills natural enzymes, amino acids vitamins and minerals thus removing many of the health and nutritional benefits of consuming raw honey.

Unfiltered: Honey can be filtered or strained to remove small particles like pollen, bee parts and other large and small debris prior to jarring. Filtering is different to straining. Filtering is often accompanied by heating of honey to make it more liquid so that it is easier to pass through the filter mesh, whereas straining does not involve heating processes. Filtration also makes honey smooth and uniform in color. Choosing raw and unfiltered honey ensures that most beneficial properties and nutrients of honey has been preserved.

Organic: “Organic honey” is produced from the pollen of organically grown species of plants and without the use of chemical miticides to treat the bees. All the flowers within a 2-mile radius of the hive must be certified organic to certify the honey as organic. At Berringa, we make sure our organic honey suppliers are certified organic by ACO. Our honey is also not heated beyond 45 degrees C and has several quality controls in place to ensure that these nutrients are preserved for the consumer.

Pure: A “pure honey” label describes a jar of honey that has no other ingredients in it. A lot of industrially manufactured honey products have corn syrup added to it to help reduce costs. The word “pure” does not convey much information regarding how the honey is produced or what variety of honey it is, and whether it is an environmentally friendly product or not.

Knowing the meaning of these words will help you choose the best honey for you; it ensures you get exactly what you are looking for. Small artisanal honey producers who are transparent about their production process like Berringa are the companies to look out for when purchasing honey.

Find high quality, natural, raw, unfiltered, and organic honey online from our online shop. We produce 3 varieties- Eucalyptus, Tea tree and Manuka- from local beehives in Australia. Each jar is made with the utmost care, a slow and deliberate packing operation, without the use of high heat and any artificial additives and chemicals. Nothing is altered, preserving the natural nutrients in every bottle. So, go on and enjoy what the nature in your local area has to offer!