Strengthening Immune System & Wellbeing with Natural Food Comvita Celebrates First Store Presence in Malaysia with Its Best Kept Secrets of Aotearoa New Zealand

• Comvita, New Zealand’s No. 1 UMF™ Manuka Honey Producer, is passionate about helping people be well and connect with the goodness of nature through its UMFTM-certified Manuka honey products.
• Manuka honey, as a natural food, has unique antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune modulatory properties that support the body’s health for digestion, immunity support, and skin care.
• Key attractions at public launch event include Mixed Reality Manuka Honey Tasting Experience developed in partnership with Microsoft HoloLens 2, and complimentary sweet treats made with Comvita Manuka Honey.

Comvita, New Zealand’s No. 1 Manuka Honey brand with close to five decades of professional beekeeping craft, has opened its first store in Malaysia at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Since its humble beginnings in 1974, the brand has grown to be New Zealand’s leading trusted Manuka Honey company backed by a strong heritage with science at its core.

Rommel Irwan (right) presented Comvita Special Reserve UMF 25+ Manuka Honey as the token of appreciation to Her Excellency Pam Dunn (center). He was holding a Comvita UMF 20+ Manuka Honey meanwhile Brian Tan (left) was holding a Comvita UMF 10+ Manuka Honey.

Manuka honey is made by bees that pollinate the Manuka flower, which is native to New Zealand and blooms only two to six weeks per year. With over 2,000 different natural compounds, Manuka honey has unique bioactive properties, giving antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune modulatory properties. Such qualities support the body’s health for digestion, immunity support, and skin care.

Rommel Irwan, Head of Southeast Asia for Comvita, said at the launch event that many of us live in population dense, unrelenting cities – the environment and lifestyle combined causes stress, illness, and general health damage. “Comvita’s founders were united by a belief that food is the best medicine, and that nature has the answers. As such, we are passionate about helping people be well and connect with the goodness of nature; and we are committed to the development of innovative natural health and wellbeing products, backed by credible scientific research,” he said.

Eating the Right Type of Natural Food for Better Immune System & Body Health
The launch event also saw a sharing session by Professor Dr. Sargunan Sockalingam, Head of Rheumatology from UM Specialist Centre (UMSC), on why and how the immune system is important for the human body and wellbeing, and what are the types of natural foods that are scientifically proven to support and strengthen the immune system.

Professor Dr. Sargunan shared that the human body’s immune system is an intricate network of cells, tissues, and organs that band together to defend our body against ‘harmful invaders’, such as germs, bacteria, and viruses. He explained that having a healthy immune system is akin to having a frontline barrier to prevent or stop bad, foreign substances from entering the body and creating health problems.

“Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from outside invaders and strengthened by healthy-living strategies such as eating the right type of food. When we are sick, we often seek foods that are believed to boost immunity or have healing properties.”

“Some common examples include taking citrus fruits, chicken soup, or tea with honey and lemon when you are down with a cold and flu; taking prebiotic foods such as garlic, or probiotic foods such as yogurt for better gut health; turmeric and curcumin for their anti-inflammatory properties; and Manuka honey that aids in soothing a sore throat or promoting wound healing.”

Her Excellency Pam Dunn, New Zealand High Commissioner enjoyed Comvita Mixed Reality Manuka Honey Tasting Experience with Microsoft HoloLens – an immersive experience that plays upon the senses of sight and sound to help better understand the link between Manuka honey’s complex taste, its beneficial compounds, and its sustainable origins. Malaysia is the second country where the Mixed Reality Manuka Honey Tasting Experience makes it appearance after its world debut at Expo Dubai 2020.

“It is important to understand how each type of natural food helps in strengthening the immune system and wellbeing and learn how to eat the right type for general or targeted health purposes,” he said.

Sustainably Sourced, Hive to Shelf
Touching on how Comvita’s Manuka Honey is sustainably sourced, Rommel explained that the company is guided by the ‘Kaitiakitanga’ (guardianship of nature) principle -- a New Zealand native term based on Māori world views that include conservation, replenishment, and sustainability of the environment.

“Our Manuka Honey is sourced from sustainable apiaries with nearly 50 years of beekeeping craftmanship. As Manuka honey can only be produced in areas abundant with native Manuka blossoms, Comvita’s beehives are located in some of the most remote, untouched parts of New Zealand – with some areas only accessible by helicopter.”

“To produce Manuka honey of the highest possible standards without compromising on the bees’ welfare, we ensure that we can manage the environment around our hives. We have over 40,000 hives and are committed to growing trusted relationships with our beekeepers to produce UMFTM Manuka Honey of the highest quality.”

“All our Manuka honey is traceable to its source – from the hive to the shelf. Our practices are sustainable to honour the purest natural state of Manuka honey and making sure that this extremely rare nectar is available for generations to come.”

Comvita’s Manuka Honey Products are UMF™ Certified
UMFTM (Unique Manuka Factor) is the only grading standard with independent testing of Manuka honey on its quality, purity and authenticity. The certification mark is only granted to genuine, monofloral Manuka honey from New Zealand, thus guaranteeing authenticity for Manuka honey users.

Comvita’s Manuka honey products contain only the very best of the hive’s healing power, tested for purity and potency in its own world-class accredited laboratory to meet and exceed the highest standards. Every batch of Comvita Manuka honey is tested for quality for over 30 times.