Our Awards
Over the years we have entered our products into a range of honey awards including the ApiCulture NZ Awards (was National Beekeepers Association Honey Show), The Taste Farmers Market Awards & The Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards. Here are the details of how we got on:
NZ Artisan Awards
The Inspire+ Artisan Awards showcase the depth and breadth of New Zealand’s best and locally made produce. Products are judged on degree of innovation, fit for purpose, visual appeal, taste, price point, and shelf-life.
2023:
Our Four Brothers won silver, and Hakarimata and Ohinewai honeys won bronze in the 2023 NZ Artisan Awards.
2022:
Our Hakarimata, Kirikiriroa and Ohinewai honeys won gold in the 2022 NZ Artisan Awards. With over 1000 brands entered we're exciting to get gold!
2020:
Sweetree was judged as a finalist in the 2020 NZ Artisan Awards. With well over 600 brands entered, the competition was tough. So much so, that a new category was opened up to cater for the huge number of honey brands that entered.
Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards
These awards celebrate Kiwis who harvest, grow and make food and drinks. All products were judged on quality, taste, consistency, visual appearance, packaging, innovation, point of difference, sustainable practices and story behind the product. We were up against a lot of other products from 'the earth' such as other honeys, spreads, condiments, loaves, crackers, nuts, etc.
2022:
In 2022 we entered two honeys and won two awards!
Silver for our Kirikiriroa honey
Judges comments were: A delightful orange blossom honey. Very nice colour and attractive.
Bronze for our Ohinewai honey
Judges comments were: Earthy aroma. A rich honey with a good mouthfeel. Moderately strong flavour profile.
Sustainability Comments from Judges:
Very impressive all-round commitment to sustainability - shows what a small business can do when this commitment is genuine. Environment focus includes packaging, frames in beehives, fuel & transport (EV), waste, education. Social includes raising money for research, surplus fruit, donations to food bank and community, farmers market chair. All local. Family business.
2021:
In 2021 we won the following:
Gold for our Four Brothers Reserve honey
Judges comments were: Flavour distinctive and unique with dark deep flavour notes (earthy, nutty, dark spirits notes) Would pair really well with crisp apple. Texture good as very homogeneous good. Colour rich and matches flavour (sensory harmony). Judges raved about this product.
Silver for our Hakarimata honey
Judges comments were: Beeswax aroma. Intensely sweet, floral, bright. Glossy caramel body. Would be great on crumpets! A bit like mead.
Bronze for our Dried Bee Pollen
Judges comments were: A bit musty. Passionfruit, citrus and earthy aroma. A bit spongy and chewy. Would be a great garnish but could easily overwhelm.
Sustainability and brand story judges’ comments:
Great focus on environment, especially for a small business. Consideration given to packaging, transport, fuel, avoiding plastic in hives, waste. Communicate their sustainable practices through a blog. Proceeds go back to research to help bees. Great initiative to use unwanted fruit from trees, turn it into preserves in recycled honey jars and give to local food bank.
Sweetree received the top score for your brand story and marketing!
2020:
In 2020 we entered Sweetree Four Brothers Reserve honey and won a SILVER medal!
Judging this year was made on the following criteria:
Product: Aroma, flavour, consistency, quality, visual appearance, innovation, innovation (75%).
Sustainability: Sustainable business practices in producing the product (15%).
Brand Story / Originality: The story of your brand, how you got here, where you’re going, what makes your product original and demonstrates your passion. Packaging, if applicable, is also considered as part of this score. (10%).
Judges' comments: A very smooth and enjoyable honey. Just delicious.
Sustainable judges' feedback:
Good environmental story: local honey business with a focus on biodiversity. Good consideration of packaging (glass) and the supply chain. EV for transport. Next steps to progress to goal to become carbon neutral (consideration of energy etc). Impressive work with the council to populate bee population. Work with the community.
2018:
No entry submitted
2019:
In 2019 we entered Sweetree Marokopa Spring honey and won a GOLD medal! Judging is made on the following criteria.
Product: Quality, taste, consistency, visual appearance, innovation, packaging (if applicable), innovation (80%).
Sustainability: Sustainable business practices in producing the product (10%).
Brand Story:
The story of your brand, how you got here, where you’re going, what makes your product special and demonstrates your passion. (10%).
Outstanding NZ Food Producer Award's organiser Kathie Bartley says “This was a great result for Sweetree, we had some awesome honey products this year.”
2017:
In 2017 we entered Sweetree Kirikiriroa honey Outstanding NZ Food Producers Awards and was judged a Finalist! All products were judged on quality, taste, consistency, visual appearance, packaging, innovation, point of difference, sustainable practices and story behind the product.
Outstanding NZ Food Producer Award's organiser Kathie Bartley says “being a finalist means producers are the ‘best of the best’. Shoppers can look out for the Outstanding NZ Food Producer quality guarantee as some finalists will showcase their status by attaching finalist medals to their packaging.”
Apiculture NZ Honey Show
This competition is the same at the National Beekeepers Association awards below, they have been renamed Apiculture NZ. In this competition, the bee products are judged purely on the product with no packaging, marketing or gimmicks to detract from the honey. All honey is entered in the same packaging and the products are judged on various characteristics such as aroma, colour, cleanliness, taste, and texture.
2021:
We received a bronze award for our Hakarimata honey in the 'Honey Comb - Frame Wood' class. This was for one wooden honey frame full of honey as taken from the hive. It was judged on cleanliness, fullness of cells, etc.
2020:
Due to COVID19 there was no honey competition this year.
2019:
We received a bronze award for our Kirikiroa in the 'Special Reserve Honey' class. This section was judged on various characteristics such as aroma, colour, cleanliness, taste, texture, floral source as well as the story around the honey.
2018:
No entry submitted
2017:
- 1st Dried Bee Pollen (Gold)
- 2nd in 'Beekeepers Special Reserve' with our Hakarimata honey (Silver)
- 3rd in the Products of the Hive with our Propolis Tincture (Bronze)
National Beekeepers Association Honey Show
The National Beekeepers Association awards are judged purely on the product with no packaging, marketing or gimmicks to detract from the honey. All honey is entered in the same packaging and the products are judged on various characteristics such as aroma, colour, cleanliness, taste and texture.
2016:
- 1st in the Dried Bee Pollen (Gold)
- 1st in the Products of the Hive with our Propolis Tincture (Gold)
- Unfortunately, we didn't enter a honey this year, it wasn't packed in time.
2015:
- 2nd in the Beekeepers Special Reserve Honey with our new Kirikiriroa honey (Silver), we were 3 points away from being 1st!
- 3rd in the Dried Bee Pollen (Bronze)
2014:
This year we entered four products and they all got placings! We were judged:
- 1st in the Dried Bee Pollen (Gold)
- 2nd in the Beekeepers Special Reserve Honey with our Ohui Manuka honey (Silver)
- 3rd in the Beekeepers Special Reserve Honey with our Hakarimata honey (Bronze)
- 3rd in the Products of the Hive with our Propolis Tincture (Bronze)
2013:
- 2nd overall
- 1st in the Beekeepers Special Reserve Honey with our Hakarimata honey (Gold)
- 1st in the Dried Bee Pollen (Gold)
- 3rd in the Products of the Hive with our Propolis Tincture (Bronze)
2012:
- 2nd in the Beekeepers Special Reserve Honey with our Hakarimata Honey (Silver )
- 3rd with our Dried Bee Pollen (Bronze)
Farmers Market NZ Awards
All products entered into these awards are sold at Farmers Markets throughout New Zealand and were judged on quality, flavour, texture, and packaging.
2018:
No entries submitted
2017:
This year we were judged 'Highly Commended' with our Kirikiriroa, Hakarimata and Marokopa Spring honeys.
Here is the judges' feedback:
It would be fair to say, that this category (Kitchen Bench - preserves) is perhaps the hardest of all to judge, with your mixture of honey, jams, jellies, fruit pastes, chutneys, sauces etc. They have suggested that it might make things easier to split it up a little. It is always the biggest category for the judges and one that is very highly fought. The quality of your entries was extremely high, well done to you all. Due to the number of entries, the judges felt it appropriate to award three Highly Commended placings.
Here's some specific feedback:
Kirikirioa: was a nice with a nice flavour and light in colour.
Hakarimata: was a nice honey, light in colour with an intense flavour.
Marokopa Spring: had a smooth texture, nice and creamy with a clean flavour.
2016:
This year we were judged 'Runner Up' with our Four Brothers Reserve honey and 'Highly Commended' with our Kirikiriroa honey.
2015:
No entries submitted
2014:
No entries submitted
2013:
We entered all our honeys and dried bee pollen into the 'Taste of NZ Farmers Market Awards'. We were judged 'Highly Commended (2nd)' in the 'From the Kitchen Bench' section.
Here is the judges' feedback:
There were hundreds of entries this year and while the judges had their work cut out for them your product certainly stood out. Your products were judged HIGHLY COMMENDED as the best of the best and stood out as a great example of local produce at a Farmers' Market - the judges were highly impressed.
NZ Honey that stings you on the tongue with flavour, the judges could taste the dedication and flavour from each of the 150 hives you have in Waikato…the fact that you seek out nearby floral sources for each batch and that you can deliver that with consistency shows why it is simply some of the tastiest bee flavoursome honeys that we have tasted.
The story behind each variety and the business name show the passion and dedication of the Lynch family as they are embarking on this taste and culinary journey. All of the products were faultless and the pollen simply outstanding, if everybody knew of the power that bees have and the super foods that they make then the world would be a healthy place.
Great Honeys and products, the recipes just keep on adding to the appeal of a truly real local food producer...these taste are awesome!
2012:
We entered our Four Brothers Reserve, Marokopa Spring, Marokopa Summer and Marokopa Manuka honeys and Dried Bee Pollen into the 'Taste of NZ Farmers Market Awards'.
We were judged 'Highly Commended (2nd)' in the 'From the Kitchen Bench' section. Judges were Jonny Schwass, Nadia Lim & Julie Biuso.
Here is the judges' feedback:
Love it, Like the packaging, great story and family business, no graininess, nice mouth-full and individual honey flavours
Interesting bee pollen, serving suggestions on packaging, passionate food producers and it shows in the product
Love the packaging and the story, really delicious and the real taste of honey flavour, love the honey is raw!
2011:
We entered our Four Brothers Reserve and Marokopa Summer honeys and Dried Bee Pollen into the 'Taste of NZ Farmers Market Awards'.
We were placed 3rd in the 'From the Kitchen Bench' section and judged as 'One of the Best and to Watch Out For'.
Judges were Jonny Schwass, Brett McGregor and Zo Zohu.
Here is the judges' feedback:
Interesting flavour, caramel flavour really comes through and a good flowing texture
Beautiful packaging. Great Honeys, real regional flavours
Bee Pollen is one of the most underrated natural foods that you can find. Great taste, floral and tart - perfect for breakfast or as a garnish on ice cream
Experience honey how nature intended it
