Mihiwaka Honey is a family business based in Port Chalmers. Maan Tamang, the face behind Mihiwaka Honey, is originally from the foothills of Nepal and started beekeeping in 2008. Now managing over 500 hives across Dunedin and Central Otago, Maan is deeply committed to connecting the community with the environment, often taking time to share his knowledge about bees and the essential role they play in local ecosystems.

Lila White met Maan in 2018 and helped developed the business and expand the sale of honey to households and the hospitality industry in the lower South Island. Many Dunedin hotels now feature Mihiwaka Honey on their breakfast buffets, including full frames of honeycomb. Mihiwaka Honey also offers a beehive rental service in Dunedin, currently managing 85 rental hives across the city. This initiative allows residents to enjoy their own local honey and the benefits of pollination while supporting the wider community, as each hive pollinates gardens and surrounding properties within a 5km radius.

Maan keeps the bees strong and healthy by using organic pest management, seasonal inspections, and returning their own honey to the hives instead of feeding sugar. The beehives are registered under the Management Agency AFB PMP, and every jar of honey is fully traceable back to the hive it came from, with information listed on the labels of the jars.

Maan and Lila are excited to bring Mihiwaka Honey to the Otago Farmers Market, offering fresh, local honey while continuing to build connections between people, bees, and the environment. Committed to sustainability, they will have honey dispensers at the Market so customers can refill their own jars with two of their popular honeys.