Capilano Honey
Winner, Agribusiness Award 

Capilano’s honey is produced by more than 500 beekeepers with hives across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. Between them, production can reach more than 15,000 tonnes of honey, although drought can have a detrimental impact on honey production.

The company exports to 52 countries, accounting for over 90 per cent of all retail-packed honey exported from Australia, making Capilano one of the most widely distributed Australian food brands internationally.

Australian Export Award judges were impressed by Capilano’s strong commitment to export and its robust risk management strategy. In recent years, the company has concentrated on developing value-added retail markets in key international markets including North America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. This year, Capilano won its first orders to South Korea after five years of persistence.

The company is conscious of the importance of product differentiation and has achieved several world-firsts in packaging including the Upside Down pack and the Snap’n Squeeze honey sachets. Leading the world with its quality assurance standards, Capilano was the first honey producer to monitor the honey from ‘hive to home’, using bar codes to track honey throughout the production process.

In terms of marketing, Capilano is embracing social media to target new, younger consumers and its Facebook page already has more than four thousand fans.

While it will continue to focus on key markets in the USA, Asia and Europe, Capilano is also looking to India and China for future export growth.