News

We sat down with Haruna & Yuko of our online team & talked about their works on a normal day in the office.  In the talk, both Haruna & Yuko told us some of the challenges they faced during COVID-19 lockdown & how did they overcome them.  They also talked about their favorite products & their recommendations to our customers…..

Bridget Morgan has been Kapeka head designer since 1998. What made Bridget become a designer? What inspires her when she designed her latest collection? We asked her 12 questions such as her favourite thing to wear, her inspiration in fashion design.....

We sat down with Avoca beekeeper Chris recently and asked him about his work and his passion about beekeeping and his birthplace Northland.  Chris told us his favorite beekeeping story, his family, hobbies and passion.  He also shared some of the secrets of his beekeeping in Northland…….

Peter Hanson, founder of Aotea Gifts, started his business venture in 1979 when he took an interest in a small gift shop that he saw regularly on his way to the Papakura Military camp in the suburb of Auckland back in the days when he served as a Colonel in the New Zealand Army……..Aotea is a brand of trust with over 42 years of history, serving more than 7 million customers over the last 4 decades.

Lake Tekapo & the Mackenzie Country in central South Island is considered the best location to see Lupins.  Before Covid-19, Lake Tekapo would often have traffic jams around lupin hotspots with tourists stopping and taking pictures of the iconic lupin flowers.  The fields of beautiful purple lupins with white snow-capped mountain of Mt. Cook as backdrop makes it a perfect spot for Instagram lovers.  However, most lupins in Tekapo disappeared in 2020 and we wondered why?  Find out more in this blog.

Waitangi Day - 6 February - is New Zealand's national holiday held to commemorate the signing of New Zealand's founding document - the Treaty of Waitangi - in 1840

Possums are classified as a pest in New Zealand and efforts & initiatives have been made to reduce their number including “Predator Free 2050”. At Kapeka, we make use of possums caught in the wild through the pest control process to develop our Merinosilk and Mahana Cashmere fibres. In doing so, we turn a natural hazard into a collection of beautifully New Zealand made fashion with sustainability in mind. Utilizing a natural fibre like possum also helps reduce the amount of synthetic fibres in production.

In this blog post we talk about the skin benefits of Manuka honey.  Manuka Honey is a completely natural ingredient that in more recent times, has faced a resurgence in use for skin concerns such as injuries like scrapes, blisters and burns to bacteria and viral infiltration like acne and cold sores. Manuka honey's use in wound care fell with the progression of antibiotics however as the world starts to become more aware of the overuse of antibiotics and the accompanying antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Manuka honey has risen in popularity. Many skincare brands harness Manuka Honey's skin serving properties including Wild Ferns and Avoca however you can apply it directly to the skin from the jar -  from hive to skin!

As the price tag suggests, not all Manuka honey is equal. There are a lot different terms surrounding Manuka Honey such as UMF, MGO and K+ Factor, medical-grade and raw or unpasteurised and these can all help us understand the quality and features of the specific pot of honey. We wanted this article to provide all the information you need to clearly understand what these terms mean and what it means in terms of the quality of Manuka honey so that you can make an informed decision!

 

In this week's blog post we learn from Chris on if bees can predict the weather! 

This week we are chatting with Chris on the importance of the queen bee in a hive and New Zealand royal jelly; the nutritious food fed to the queen bee now turned popular supplement. We accompanied him to one of his apiaries (area with hives) where he talked us through one of his hives and showed us an example of a queen cell - where the queen bee develops and royal jelly is stored.

Hand Sanitiser - this post covers all the necessary information you need on the different types of hand sanitisers, what types offer the best protection and how to properly use it so you can stay safe.