Orara Valley Honey was founded in 2008 when the owner Glenn Locke, rekindled a childhood interest in beekeeping by setting up a few beehives at Karangi, just west of Coffs Harbour.
The business has gradually grown to approximately 100 production hives and is still located in the Orara Valley at Nana Glen.
A paddock of flatweed
Orara Valley Honey is local, raw & real.
Our natural, local raw honey is 100% Australian.
Orara Valley Honey is unique. The flavours and colour differ from site to site according to the season and the flowering plants.
The honey flora in the valley varies across a wide variety of plants including;
Eucalypts and forest trees.
Angophora floribunda (Rough-barked Apple)
Angophora costata (Smooth-barked Apple)
Corymbia intermedia (Pink Bloodwood)
Corymbia gummifera (Red Bloodwood)
Melaleuca salicina (Willow Bottlebrush)
Eucalyptus grandis (Flooded Gum)
Eucalyptus paniculata (Grey Ironbark)
Tristaniopsis laurina (Water Gum)
Groundcovers
Hypochoeris radicata (Flatweed)
Trifolium repens (White Clover)
White Clover
Our apiary sites are spread throughout the Orara Valley at:
Bucca,
Sherwood,
Orara East,
Coldwater Creek,
Eastbank Road, &
Morrows Road.
Our honey is raw & 100% Australian
The Orara Valley honey extraction process is simple:
Natural, raw honeycomb is removed from the hives.
The wax cappings are removed from the honeycomb with a warm, sharp, serrated knife.
A honey extractor is used to spin the honey out of the combs by centrifugal force.
We then allow the honey to settle for 24 hrs in bulk drums which lets large particles of wax and other impurities rise to the top.
The raw, unfiltered honey is then drained from the bottom into smaller 10-litre food grade tubs.
The honey receives one final coarse strain before being bottled in our retail jars.
Raw honey retains all of its naturally occurring vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
Minimal processing also means that our raw honey also contains antioxidants such as polyphenols, as well as enzymes and amino acids.
Pollen in honeycomb
Our hive pest management is chemical-free.
We don’t use chemicals to control small hive beetle.
The arrival of small hive beetle into Australia almost 20 years ago has made managing bees difficult.
There are many ways to minimise the impact of beetles on hives including chemical methods using insecticides such as Fiprinol.
We have found that where hives are strong and queenright (they have a robust, healthy queen), they can overcome most challenges from small hive beetle.
Our hive losses over the last few years due to beetles has been minimal and we will continue to operate on a chemical-free basis.
We don’t produce organic honey. Organic standards are stringent and difficult to achieve.
We respect those beekeepers who meet the organic standard by not making organic claims about our honey when it is not.
1-kilo glass jar (online and in retail stores Coffs Harbour area only)
500g glass jar (online and in retail stores Coffs Harbour area only)
Bulk honey in 10-litre food-grade plastic buckets. (Coffs Harbour area only)
1-kilo plastic jar (Australia wide) *
500g plastic jar (Australia wide) *
Natural honeycomb 200g (Australia wide) *
Natural honeycomb 400g (Australia wide) *
*Note: Due to interstate quarantine restrictions we cannot ship to Western Australia or Kangaroo Island.
We deliver free in the following areas; Corindi Beach, Arrawarra Headland, Safety Beach, Woolgoolga, Sandy Beach, Emerald Beach, Moonee Beach, Sapphire Beach, Korora, Coffs Harbour, Karangi, Fernmount, Coramba, Nana Glen, Glenreagh, Toormina, Sawtell, Boambee, Bonville, Repton, Mylestom, Urunga, Raleigh, Bellingen.
If you live in or are passing through the Coffs Harbour area you can purchase our products from our fantastic retailers to see your nearest stockist please click here.
Retailers – our honey is ready to go straight on your shelf.
Interested in becoming a stockist of our honey? Learn more here
